Christmas Tree
officially an old missionary
I went to the departing Arlington trip so I'm officially an old missionary! Arlington was a million times better than the White House experience last week. I'm so grateful for all the sisters I came out here with, we love each other so much! It was so fun to spend the day with them and take a picture together, all seven of us. We got to see John F. Kennedy's grave site, see the Lee house, and the best part - the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown solider. Sister Lewis was telling me that she had an institute teacher relate the changing of the guard to the sacrament once, talking about how seriously they take that ceremony and how we need to approach partaking of the sacrament with similar focus and sacredness. Something to think about for sure. We'll have to go to Arlington when we come back for a visit, I think Dad will really love it.
FESTIVAL STARTS TOMORROW! Happy Christmas!! Tomorrow is Ambassador night and then the Diplomats come the following night. I got lucky and get to be a part of the reception both nights! I get to walk around with food plates and smile at all the awesome people from all over the world - winning! 
Roped together
Once upon a time I professed my return to blogging and then missionary life happened and blogging didn't. That isn't to say I don't have thoughts and experiences to share, I have LOTS to share. All the best things in life take time though, right?! None of that instant gratification here. Besides, how much more exciting is a random post every few months verses the daily dose of stop blogging already Sister Rowley!?
Now for the good stuff... Last week I was reunited with some of my very favorite people. They are the sort of people that make your heart explode when you see them because there simply isn't enough room for the amount of love you feel. We got to reminisce, talk about the gospel, and bask in feelings of gratitude for Christ and each other. Just one day later I was lucky enough to see those very same people only in a different circumstance. Somebody gave a talk in Stake Conference and I'll give you a hint... it wasn't me!
She shared a message from her heart and did what I've always wished I could do - get up there and just speak by the spirit instead of that awkward word for word reading (guilty!). A convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, she talked about how the missionaries tied her unraveled rope back together. I have since been thinking about that unraveled rope and how we as missionaries become unraveled too. Life is hard. No matter who you are, where you're from, or what you're dealing with, you are not alone! These challenges and imperfections were a part of God's plan from the very beginning. God loves all of His children so of course we will all experience both the good and bad in life. Remember, "for it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things" (2 Nephi 2:11). How will we learn to appreciate success and joy if we don't also cross paths with failure and sorrow?
It's been decided then, everyone at some point or another, even multiple times throughout life, holds in their hand that unraveled rope that they alone can't put back together. If we can't tie our own ropes back together, who can? Of course the missionaries can help! In fact, missionaries do a lot of rope tying, it sort of comes with the calling of bringing others closer to Christ. But here's the missionary confession: our ropes aren't always perfectly tied together either. Don't freak out yet... as we help others' reconnect their unraveled ends, we start to tie their rope to ours and together we become stronger and more solid in our standing with Christ and His teachings. Not only do we as missionaries get to tie the ropes of those learning about the church, those struggling to come back to church, or even the active members who just need a little inspiration; but throughout the process of tying others' ropes to ours, we tie both to Christ's rope.
We came to earth with this seemingly perfect rope, but as soon as we stepped foot into the "real world" we discovered things that lead to that unavoidable split. Think about it though, had our ropes not fallen apart, we would've never had the need to be tied back together. If there was no need for a process of re-tying we would have missed the opportunity to latch onto the ultimate rope of strength that belongs to our Savior, Jesus Christ. His is a rope for all. He is the way we overcome our challenges and mistakes. He is indeed the Prince of Peace and the source of true happiness. Because of Jesus Christ and His example, we are individually sought after and made anew. With a fresh outlook on life, a greater understanding of God's love, and a newly tied rope we are then inspired to find those other unraveled ropes so they too can have the fullness of the gospel and an understanding of who they are and how much they are loved.
"And at that day shall the remnant of our seed know that they are of the house of Israel, and that they are the covenant people of the Lord; and then shall they know and come to the knowledge of their forefathers, and also to the knowledge of the gospel of their Redeemer, which was ministered unto their fathers by him; wherefore, they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer and the very points of his doctrine, that they may know how to come unto him and be saved" (1 Nephi 15:14).
Hi from the library of congress :]
Just reading in THE library of congress... HUGE DEAL! Had to get a
special library card and everything. It was SOOO cool because somehow
I walked right to the religious section without knowing where I was
going. Oh hey, Book of Mormon! This place is awesome. Books on books
on books on books - beauty and the beast status. It's beautiful in
here! #lovingmylife
Reflecting on Festival of Lights
This years Festival of Lights theme: D&C 31:3 lift up your hearts and rejoice. Our goal is to get 800 people to say yes to meeting with missionaries. Yeah, we're already preparing for Christmas over here.
I had a really special opportunity this week to reflect on what the VC has meant to me throughout my mission. The trainers had asked those of us who were here for Festival of Lights last year to look through our journals and find a miracle to share at training meeting. The miracle I found wasn't some foreign guy, some cute family, or anyone else the Lord put into my path, but rather it was the realization that I was a good missionary and Heavenly Father was proud of me. When I first got here I really struggled, specifically struggled with understanding my purpose in the visitors center. This was the experience I had one night during Festival of Lights: "Tonight has been amazing. I think that for the first time this season I've seen a glimpse of my purpose as a VC missionary. We talked with Kat who gave us her phone number. Dan Cox, who although he doesn't believe in God much, he continues to come back to the VC and kept taking with us even though he wasn't interested. And then we met Chet, a Methodist who has been researching the church a little. We got his email address and also had a great discussion about the atonement and how Christ helps us overcome our challenges. We read Ether 12:27 and it was just great! Heavenly Father just really blessed Sister Mendenhall and I with lots of opportunities tonight. I AM A GOOD MISSIONARY and it's all because of Heavenly Father and the Holy Ghost." That was a really neat festival experience that not only touched me then, but also strengthened me as I shared it a few days ago. I felt so much love for missionary work (especially in the VC) as I shared that experience, and also felt so strongly that Heavenly Father is indeed proud of me. Proud of who I was, and proud of who I've become. I'm also grateful that sister Mendenhall was part of that experience and turning point in my mission. I'm definitely going to miss her when she heads home next transfer. As in 2.5 weeks.
~Sister Rowley
praying
So awhile back I was really struggling with my prayers (story of my life) and sister Cooke helped me out. She talked about visualizing our heavenly parents being right there as we pray. She made it realistic. Still reverent, but also real. She even talked about visualizing heavenly mother stroking your hair and telling you it's going to be okay. I haven't quite learned how to do it yet, but that's not what I'm here to tell you... One of the members in Chevy Chase has been having the same struggles. I certainly don't relish in the hardships of others, but I do feel grateful when I discover that I'm not the only one who has a hard time with certain gospel topics. None of us are perfect! We're all in this together! Anyways, I had the opportunity to really connect with her and tell her about sister Cooke's advice. The next time I saw her was at a lesson with Barbara and let me tell you, that opening prayer she gave... It was amazing! She had been working on it and what I shared with her had helped. She even ended up sharing it in church on Sunday as she spoke in sacrament meeting. you never know who you're going to influence. When sister Cooke was helping me out, I doubt she planned on this exact moment in time where I would then be sharing it with someone else. When it comes to the gospel and service, you really never help one single person, so act on those promptings and seek for opportunities to be the support someone else needs. Sister Cooke is amazing and I'm so blessed to have the absolute best mission mom out there. I wrote her a little email just sharing the experience and thanking her for all she does.
~Sister Rowley
noteworthy things this week:
- An awesome trio singing in the metro station. Totally invited them to a VC event instead of giving them cash #missionarylifeforme
- The things I eat because I'm a missionary: chicken pot pie.
- I was having a seemingly rough day, but then someone got onto chat and I was sort of snapped back into reality and shown that I have no reason to complain. His parents had just died in a crash and he felt utterly alone. I seriously need to work on being more grateful and happy for the blessings in my life, because I really have no reason to complain.
- We had an awesome impromptu lesson with a cute couple from Venezuela. We went to check on a former investigator and instead found these two. They are the parents of the former's friend and are heading back to Venezuela in a week. We shared a message of Christ and they accepted our invitation to learn more from the missionaries back home!
- We awkwardly tracted into a member of our ward. We had dinner at one girl's house and then had an appointment at another's with 30 minutes in between. The area they live in is like Mormon-ville full of a bunch of the mid singles and YSAs. There was nobody to talk to on the streets so we decided to walk into one of the apartment buildings and the only door we knocked on was Ben Huff's. Oh hiiiii - you're in our ward! Never again will I try to knock on a door in that area. I knew it was overran with members, but really?? Of all the doors we knocked on?!?!
sometimes missionaries need to be strengthened too
The 20 minute dinner miracle: So we had a day at the VC and then planned to go home for our hour of dinner because let's face it, as much as I love the VC sometimes you just need to get the heck out of there. We start driving and then we hit the 5 o'clock traffic. We're supposed to be out in our area by 6pm and we're watching our dinner time click right on by. So we decide to skip the trip back home, park at the church where we needed to park for the night, and eat at a quick little restaurant at the mall. It's called lunchbox (I may have written home about it before - a member took us there once). Good sandwiches, fun look, cool vibe, and usually kylee music. Anyways, it's pretty new so not many people know about it and it's been pretty empty when I've gone. We order our meal, everything is going great, we're somehow making it work despite the fact that we only have 20 minutes to eat and then we get hit with one awesome blessing: FREE ICE CREAM! The guys working were super nice and gave us free ice cream so they could test out the new machine. Wasn't my favorite, but it was free ice cream so I'm not complaining. They gave us free treats, we gave them invitations to the visitors center, plus we still made it out at 6pm so it was just a miracle dinner that then lead to that super awesome first lesson with Carol. That night was such a solid one for us, someone I reallllly needed. I was starting to feel really overwhelmed with the many things to do and the vey little time to do it. It really is true that missionaries are happiest when they're teaching which means talking with everyone. I handed out a BOM on the street that night and became friends with a cute Jewish girl from Paris. I forgot entirely about the stress I had preciously felt and I knew that God was proud and pleased with my efforts. I can't do everything all at once, I can only try my best and that night I felt like I did my best.
I had a cool experience in the VC this week where I was inspired on the spot to be creative with some kids at the Christus. We had played the Christus for them and then afterwards I asked them to close their eyes and hold out their hands. We had grabbed pictures of Christ from behind the desk and placed them in their hands. I told them to keep their eyes closed, but that I had placed a picture of Christ in their hands. "Do you believe me?" I said. They replied yes. And we talked about how they felt the picture and believed what I told them, but they couldn't physically see Him. They opened their eyes and there He was! How often do we close our eyes to the savior and ignore His presence? Do we believe that He's there even if we don't see him? Do we believe He's there even in those dark moments where we don't feel Him? We had lunch with Perla this week, she is the girl who gave that amaaaazing talk about the ballet shoes and Lazarus being raised from the dead. Remember that? I know for sure I sent that home. It was powerful. That meal with perla was exactly what I needed this week. We talked about that again - that concept of Christ leaving us in the dark sometimes so that when he does lift us out it's undeniable that it was a miracle and only possible through Him. The food we had with her was amazing and I just left feeling so rejuvenated. She had served a mission as well, and it was one of those dinner experiences that ends up being way more for you than the members or the missionary work in the area. Sometimes missionaries need to be strengthened too.
I have officially been a missionary for one year and four days!! Woooo! We didn't do anything special, but I did wear the exact same outfit I wore to the MTC (plus tights, because it's almost fall here and I'm jumping the gun because tights are the best!). I've ordered a few other nametags since getting here to DC, so my greenie nametag has been sitting on the dresser for quite some time. I decided to pull it out for my year mark. Seemed appropriate to wear it on September 25th. Sister Wathen had a rough day this week, and I think she thinks I'm helping her, but sometimes I feel like I'm sitting there freaking out because I totally remember being a new missionary and feeling every single awful emotion all at once but I don't know what to do when others experience it! I just want her to be happy and know that she is an amazing missionary, she seriously blows my mind every day with how good she is. We didn't finish weekly planning and instead spent the time talking through some things for her. Months ago I would've been stressing about not finishing, but I'm learning that sometimes missionary work has to take a backseat to the happiness and emotional state of your companion, especially a new missionary. It doesn't mean we stop being missionaries all together, but I saw how important it was to take a break and finish another time. Which ended up not happening, but you know what? That's what Christ would've done. He wouldn't have forced sister Wathen to keep planning because that's what we were supposed to be doing, he would've sat there listened, encouraged, and uplifted. Sister Wathen and I are a lot alike so I decided that to help her feel better we could get good stuff eatery the next day. Cheeseburgers for the win. We had a referral to check on in Georgetown, where the good stuff eatery is, so right after the VC we headed up there. And then the bus took way longer than we expected and we ate dinner way later than missionaries are supposed to. I felt guilty for a while, but as the night progressed and we saw so many miracles, I knew that Heavenly Father didn't want me to feel guilty. Now I know how long it takes to bus to Georgetown so we'll plan better next time, but because he knew that was our plan and because he knew it would help both of us feel better, he placed people in our path that night. The bus ride there was insane! Packed! We were riding at rush hour, when we're usually inside eating and we saw miracles because of it! We gave out two copies of the BOM in that bus ride! One in English and one in Spanish. Sister Wathen has been killing it with her Spanish contacts. So many referrals for the elders! And then the atheist/realist/hippie dude sat next to me, so that was fun. So we down our cheeseburgers, fries, and shakes in like 20 minutes - speed eating or not, that place rocks. And then a member of the ward walks in. And not just any ward member, the second counselor's wife. Oh hiiiii, we're just eating cheeseburgers with a bunch of college students on a Friday night past the hour we're supposed to. I gained a testimony of contacting your referrals because when you do, even if they're totally fake or not reachable, you get to meet the elect and experience miracles. That night was a major miracle night, which means God isn't mad we ate at good stuff. He knew it was our plan and he placed people in our path - testimony of nightly planning too. We had a referral to Georgetown university. Like, the school. With no apartment or anything. We love fake referrals :] It was really fun though, sister Wathen and I quoted Harry Potter and contacted a bunch of people along the way. And then we met two more miracles as we traveled to yet another no good referral. Mrs. Armstrong had seen us earlier on that 5pm bus and then was on the bus we took later that night. That NEVER happens! And she was soooo prepared. Talked to her about family history and the Book of Mormon. I had one left in my bag but didn't want to give it to her, it was just this "don't do it - just send missionaries" feeling. She said yes to missionaries bringing her the Book of Mormon which is waaay better. And then we met David who that BOM was meant for all along. He helped us find the apartment complex we were looking for, we gave him a BOM, got his phone number for the YSA elders and just like that had a night full of so many miracles!!
All I'm going to say about the general women's meeting: TEMPLES TEMPLES TEMPLES! And President Uchtdorf because he's my favorite :]
LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!
- Sister Rowley
comp unity = blessings
Transfers happened. Sister Johnson left, so we are no longer a trio, but I'm still training Sister Wathen and we're still in Chevy Chase. If Sister Wathen goes back to the Spanish program next transfer (which is pretty likely) then I'll be in Chevy Chase at least one more transfer and then I'll only have two more transfers after that. ONLY TWO MORE! Time is really flying by. Before you know it I'll be sending home a million christmas light pictures, oh wait... I've already started doing that. Yep - they've already started putting up the lights in preparation for festival!!! So excited for festival of lights! It really is the best time of year here in the VC and ALL the sisters get to be a part of it, even the full pros sisters!!! Nobody has to miss out!
The majority of the sisters I came out with are training right now so it's fun to all be in the same place with each other - all trying to figure out what we're doing and praying that we do the best we can. It's been cool for me to reflect on who I am as a trainer and see that it's been much less about this is how and when we do this & that and more about showing love and helping her have fun as a missionary. I think that's what I would have wanted if I were to re-do my first few months as a missionary, but I was super emotional about it all and probably wouldn't have allowed myself to enjoy the moment as much as I am now. Thank goodness for growth as a missionary, right?!
We went to the food bank for service this week. Pretty much just sorted food into containers for a solid three hours. I wish I had something super exciting to say about it, but I don't. We did go to McDonald's afterwards though, because that's how me and Sister Wathen roll #healthyallthetime.
So remember how Heavenly Father blesses my taste buds as a missionary? We had dinner with a member this week and oh my goodness... ONIONS GALORE! I wanted to die. We had zucchini that was baked and then filled with onions. Yeah, that's what we ate. I know that Heavenly Father loves me because He helps me eat food that I would never eat in a million years in any other circumstance.
You guys have to watch the new mormon message "you never know". IT'S SOOO GOOD! So there we are, Sister Wathen and I, just eating our dinner downstairs in the VC lounge. We're watching the movie together, getting a little spiritual uplift before we go back upstairs for shift. And then all of a sudden we're both just crying! And then it was hilarious because we were both just being the biggest babies, but it's really just so good. Grab tissues and then watch it.
Friday was one of my favorite days as a missionary. It was just one of those days where I was so happy and feeling the spirit so often! We talked with everyone and saw miracles because of it. First we had dinner with a member and it was one of the best meals I've had as a missionary - and I'm not talking about the food - i'm talking about the spirit and the discussion. I sort of already mentioned it on facebook. Heidi is just so awesome with her family history and she was telling us some really neat stories. They were almost like the sort of stories you would hear around a campfire and be creeped out because someone was talking to a ghost, but it wasn't scary because it was real and all about bringing others closer to Christ. She just has some very crazy and legit experiences with her ancestors who are very "vocal" about getting their work done. As she reached the climax of each story I would get chills every time. It was sooo awesome! I just knew that even though those experiences weren't happening to me, they were real experiences that proved this to be God's important work. I also felt close to Grandpa Rowley again and I know that he is teaching the families of those I am teaching here. It's so neat that we are all so connected and all so involved in the very same purpose.
Sister Wathen and I ended up having a miracle on the way home from Heidi's. We had decided we were going to talk with everyone and give out a copy of The Book of Mormon. And then we did! We met Lynne on the sidewalk and believe it or not, our conversation started with her talking about menopause. Yeah, I don't know? But then we walked her home, talked about Heavenly Father, the creation, The Book of Mormon, and about Jesus Christ. We gave her a BOM, shared with her the Because of Him, and invited her to come to church. We're hoping to teach her again, but her Lyme's Disease seems to keep her down quite a bit. It was just awesome that when we made the commitment to hand out a BOM and talk with everyone, we did it! God puts people into our path when we make goals and strive to accomplish them with all we've got. And get this... We got home that night, so pumped to tell elder Nollet that Stephanie is on date and about Lynne and then he made our night even better... They got a referral for us!!!!! MIRACLE DAY! Being unified with your companion brings so many blessings. I have never been more unified in my entire mission experience and I AM LOVING IT! Remember when I thought companions was going to be the hardest part of my mission for me? Well I've certainly experienced that, but I'm on the other side of it now and it's such a wonderful experience.
I'm happy to be here and happy to be writing the people I love most. Hope you all have such a great week.
Love,
Sister Rowley
the tame olive tree
we had a zone conference on september 11th, mostly for safety purposes. it was just the DC zone and the Anacostia zone. it was a long day, but good. free lunch! can't complain about that! sister cooke's workshop was my favorite, she talked about how blessed we are to be serving in the nation's capitol and went through some of the really neat things the city has to offer. i perked up and took a bunch of notes - museums to go to, statutes to see, restaurants to try, and things to do. it really was so great and helped me feel so excited to be here in DC, especially in chevy chase!
sister wathen and i got to teach the french elders' investigator, dieudonne again!! ah, the spirit is so strong every time we are with him!!! it was so neat!
highlight of my week: THE SABINO FAMILY. oh my goodness!! okay, so they are in our ward, but they live super far away - like way outside of our area. they had signed up on our meal calendar to give us a drop-off meal (the guy who handles our meal calendar makes it sound like we're starving to death which is totally false, we just want to spend time with the members!). so since they said it was a drop-off meal we're expecting a chicken and maybe a couple of sides. they show up to the VC and say they have a trunk full of food but that first they'd like to take us to dinner. at first we didn't understand what was happening, we thought we were just getting the drop-off but nope! endless groceries AND dinner! they took us to chipotle and hooray - i finally figured out what to order there!! i don't hate it anymore! it's all about the steak. so we get to spend a little time with them at dinner and then we head back and they open their trunk to show us a million groceries all for us. it was absolutely insane and quite honestly one of the neatest experiences of my mission. it has nothing to do with the food - it's all about their kindness and their sacrifice FOR us and the reasoning behind it. because they live so far from our area, brother sabino said he wanted to help us in any way he can. they wanted to move the work forward by helping us move forward. he talked about how he's had sons serve missions, and how this is just the way he can help and wants to help. i wish you could tell just how many groceries it is, but the picture doesn't do it justice. since sister johnson is gluten free - they got her special gluten free stuff and lots of it too! i couldn't help but feel so much love for this sweet family. they are from the phillipines - there is something about those phillipino people that just melt your heart. they are so good-hearted and full of service.
we have a new investigator and she is the exact definition of a golden investigator! her name is stephanie and we met her at church on sunday! she just up & came on her own. she has a mormon friend who just moved to utah, so she's pretty familiar with some things and even has a copy of the BOM already. it was sort of a spur of the moment decision to come to church yesterday, but she did it and i think she really liked it. she's married, thinking of staring a family soon, which is where her interest stems from. her husband isn't interested right now, but he supports her wanting to come. she likes our values and wants to raise kids in those values, it's all so exciting!! the lesson we had in relief society was on eternal families and one of the sisters who is married to a nonmember made a comment that really helped stephanie feel peace that she can keep learning and essentially be baptized even though her husband isn't interested right now. we invited her to come to the event at the VC later that night and she was there!! i had some major anxiety at first, because we didn't see her and we couldn't reach her over the phone so 20 minutes after it started we finally went in (yousuf and aluna were also there, yay for 3 investiagors at one event!). as soon as it ends we walk out to the aisle and there she was!!!!!! we have an appointment with her on thursday and i am SO excited to be teaching her!!!!!!!!!!!! it's crazy how prepared some people are. they just walk right up to you and tell you they want to learn more! i love seeing the lord's hand in this work - it does indeed show us that this is HIS work and we are blessed to be his servants in helping the work progress. i studied about that this morning in the book of mormon. i gained a testimony of companionship study as i was sharing what i had learned. it had been enlightening when i read it on my own, but when i started sharing, my heart started to swell and before i knew it i was sitting there crying. jacob 5 might just be my new favorite chapter in the book of mormon. first of all i took some time thinking about the word tame. tame = willing to cooperate; cultivate. so then i started thinking about the word cultivate and found this: prepare, use, grow, maintain, apply oneself. i love the institute manuals on the gospel library because they really set my mind down a path that leads to personal revelation and greater insight to who I can become and who Heavenly Father wants me to be. i learned that without this cultivation, the olive tree is wild, unruly, and easily corrupted. how applicable to us is that?!?! time and time again i learn just how important it is to do the little things in life like reading scriptures, praying, attending church, all these "primary answers" are the way we cultivate and maintain our spirits and our potential as children of God. then in verses 4-5 i was so moved by the fact that it was the master of the vineyard who noticed the perishing tree. it was the master who made the first attempt to save that tree. he could have sent the servant initially, but it was so important to him that he did it! i feel that christ feels that way about us. yes he sends others to help us, but he also helps us on a very personal level. i felt so close to Him as i shared these thoughts with my companions today. "it grieveth me that i should lose this tree" said over and over and over again. if you really sit and think about that word you start to see that heavenly father and jesus christ care about us all so much and they want each and every one of us to be happy and follow them. they are DEVASTATED when we choose otherwise!! in verses 15-18 i felt truly blessed to be the lord's servant at this time, being here helping him prune and save his vineyard. i pictured myself being that servant who goes down to the vineyard and starts pointing at all the wonderful trees we helped save. it's like when i child accomplishes something and they get so excited to share it with their parents, "look what i drew! look what i made!" that excitement i feel for missionary work right now. i get to return to the lord each night and say, "look! look who we helped touch today, look who we taught! look who felt the spirit! he read the book of mormon! she came to church!" ah, i just feel so blessed to be a missionary right now. i get to work side by side with the lord, saving souls. there is nowhere else i would rather be right now.
with tears streaming down my face again (story of my life), i'll say goodbye and love you all!
- sister rowley
and then i became a trainer...
so i guess i'm training now?? president called on friday afternoon - he said he was just taking inventory and wanting to know if we had any extra beds in our apartment. 5 minutes later he called again with the biggest, least expected, a bus just hit you news... a sister was coming to DC from the mexico mission and she was going to be MY companion. she was 5 weeks in and originally from utah. that's about all i knew. i didn't really understand at first - and quite honestly, i feel like i still don't. she's still a new missionary, and still needs to be trained, which makes me a trainer? WEIRD. she's going to eventually go into the spanish program and may even make that transition in 3 weeks when transfers happen, but for now she's in the english program with me and sister johnson and I'M A TRAINER. do you catch my i can't believe it - i'm still sort of freaking out drift? I continuously ask myself why me? I had sort of come to terms with the fact that I probably wouldn't train (i was terrified of the thought anyways). With the full pros and full VC system, I knew there wouldn't be many more VC sisters coming in, and I had sort of already decided on my own who would be the best trainers. And then Heavenly Father threw me for this loop and I'm still trying to process it. It's a really interesting situation, and I'm in this weird trial and error/figure out what I should be doing stage. I'll find little things as we go along that afterwards I think to myself, "oh! I probably should've done this instead or next time i should change this!" It's also weird being in a trio, because I've never experienced that before, so I'm still adjusting to that as well. Plus it's like I'm training but not because I don't know what I'm doing and sister Johnson definitely does. It's just weird and new, but also so great. Sister Wathen (i guess i should tell you her name!) is fabulous and it's so neat how all of a sudden your problems disappear because you don't matter anymore, you have someone else to worry about and their concerns and challenges are waaay more important than yours. Yes, we get that with investigators, but we don't see them 24-7, it's different. I remember being a brand new missionary and wanting to go home so bad. Missions are hard, and being new is the hardest. I just want sister Wathen to be happy and to enjoy being here with us. I want her to feel confident, I want to be the best example I can be, and make sure she isn't feeling overwhelmed. It's such a big and important job! It feels scary sometimes! It's one thing to fail yourself, but to fail someone else, especially a brand new missionary... Yeah, no thanks. This requires lots of prayer, obedience, and relying on the savior because only he knows exactly what sister Wathen needs and when she needs it.
i'm still wondering why me and why the english program, but as i've been thinking about it - i think sister johnson and i have been able to help her feel loved - which might be what she needs most right now. i'm not good with saying "i love you" or hugging a whole lot, but in my own way i do help people feel my love and God's love. plus i'm reaching this point in my mission where i'm legitimately happy to be here and having a new missionary is sort of pushing that to a whole new level where i sort of have no other option but to be happy & positive. i want the best for her, which means i have to think less about me and my concerns. The ward has responded really well to sister Wathen! She's been a miracle catalyst for us here in Chevy Chase. All of a sudden we're being fed again (hallelujah!!) and finding solid street contacts. Pretty sure Chevy Chase is partial to trios. I think Sister Wathen misses being with people who speak Spanish, her face totally lit up last night when she met some of the Spanish speaking sisters in the VC. She's excited to go the VC and I'm excited to show her around there. I love it there so it's exciting to share that love with someone new who is so open minded about loving it too!
so that's the story of how i became a trainer. i was terrified when i first heard about it, sister johnson had just recently gotten off the phone with president - her and sister croese had been praying and trying to figure out where to send sister wathen and after they had decided me, president cooke called and said that he had decided to send her to sister rowley. i cried when i found out - i was just so shocked and unprepared that i had no idea how else to react. i hope she's doing okay. she was having trouble sleeping in mexico and then the food started making her sick, so instead of sending her home they sent her here. i think she's wondering why she's here and why she was sent to mexico in the first place. i hope i can help her see why and help her feel confident in who she is, especially as a missionary.
i feel like my big news this week makes up for the lack of everything else. i'm a trainer, i'm terrified, and i have no idea what i'm doing, so HUZZAH!
love you all, love the VC, and love my two companions!
- Sister Rowley
pics of the week
companion sis johnson | exchange with sis lewis | pre-capitol tour photo opp
bestie in DC #theleanjoke
you know you're a missionary when...
Come thou fount gets stuck in your head everyday because it's one of
those songs that's on every cd you have - multiple times, multiple
artists. #sufjanwins
You eat your mac & cheese disaster and burnt grilled cheese because
there's simply nothing else to eat.
A guy innocently or accidentally puts his hand on your shoulder and
you start freaking out because he's too close. #pleasedonttouch
You eat the leftovers you accidentally left on the counter all day and
just pray you don't get sick. #wastenot
You go to bake and discover your new apartment doesn't have measuring
spoons so you eyeball it and then you add more later because turns
out, you don't know what a teaspoon looks like.
You have dreams about baptisms, prophets, prayers, and elder/sister
relationships. Sometimes Barbie with a mean mug gets thrown in too,
but only after you say a prayer.
You take pictures with boys and discover a seemingly 10 foot gap
between the two of you. #awkward
You know you're a SISTER missionary when you deem the new no tights
rule in the VC the best news of your life. #freedom
you know you've reached your halfway mission mark when...
You no longer cringe when someone answers the door while tracting, but
instead say "yes!" and fist pump in your heart.
You wear the same skirt multiple times per week and don't even feel
the need to apologize for it. #comfortoverstyle
You see your family and don't know if it's real life or a dream. #surprisevisit
Your trainer asks you to sign her departing book before she leaves.
Food moves down on the list of priorities and sleep takes it's place.
Nap or lunch? NAP.
Sleep beats journaling at night. Apparently sleep becomes a halfway
missionary's downtime priority. #tiredallthetime
The goodbyes get harder. The departing missionaries are no longer
strangers, but people you've come to know and love.
All your awkward situations aren't awkward until you start thinking
about it afterwards. Awkward in person, awkward online, awkward over
the phone, awkward all the time. #lifeofamissionary
God gave us voices, so we must sing
I've been sitting here staring at my blog trying to figure out what to do... perhaps if I stare long enough the inspiration will jump out of the screen and form itself into one of those well-written, awe-inspiring blog posts. I have all these internal questions that still go unanswered. What do I write about? How do I say it? What does the Lord expect me to do with this blog and what is MY personal purpose as a blogging missionary?
Missionaries all over the world are unified in their purpose; we invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. We all have the same purpose, and we often use the same tools, but we're all a little different too. We all have unique talents and life stories, we're blessed with different personalities that inspire different people. We all have something to offer, we just have to be willing to discover how exactly the Lord wants us to share His message, and then go and do! I'm not here to tell you I'm the best blogger in the history of life, because let's face it... I'm not, but I am here to tell you that I've discovered a God-given talent and He expects me to use it. Just a couple weeks after opening my mission call, I heard the news: the Washington DC North Mission was going to be one of the first few missions to test-drive online proselyting! I had already felt that peaceful confirmation that I was indeed called of God to serve in the exact mission I was meant to be in, but then online proselyting was announced and I had this profound realization... God loves me, He knows me, and He wants to help me help His children.
This blog has been put on the back burner for the past 10 months, but Heavenly Father has reminded me that it's time to use my talents to share His gospel online. The inspiration came to me as I was listening to Sandra Turley perform at the Washington DC Temple Visitors' Center. Sandra has been blessed with this beautiful singing voice that grabs hold of your heart and settles in the soul. She spoke a great deal of God that night, and the love that He has for each and every one of His children. She then talked about this gift we have each been given. A "voice" is what she called the gift, but I knew for me it was more of a metaphorical voice. One that didn't sing, but instead one that wrote. In my heart I knew that this blog was a gift given to me from Heavenly Father and I needed to use it to spread His message of hope and gospel of truth. We're all pretty aware of the things we're good at, but are we using them the way the Lord intended? That's why I'm resurfacing here on this blog, trying to show my Heavenly Father how grateful I am to be His representative, to have this blog, and to live His gospel. Find your talents, talk to God about it, and start actively using them to inspire those around you. Remember the parable of the talents? I so want to have an encounter someday where the Lord sits me down and talks to me about all the talents He blessed me with. I hope to hear him say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." (Matthew 25:21)
Stick around, I plan on being here a little more regularly. I've learned some pretty neat lessons lately, the kind that are worth sharing with the world, even if it's just the online world.
Missionaries all over the world are unified in their purpose; we invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. We all have the same purpose, and we often use the same tools, but we're all a little different too. We all have unique talents and life stories, we're blessed with different personalities that inspire different people. We all have something to offer, we just have to be willing to discover how exactly the Lord wants us to share His message, and then go and do! I'm not here to tell you I'm the best blogger in the history of life, because let's face it... I'm not, but I am here to tell you that I've discovered a God-given talent and He expects me to use it. Just a couple weeks after opening my mission call, I heard the news: the Washington DC North Mission was going to be one of the first few missions to test-drive online proselyting! I had already felt that peaceful confirmation that I was indeed called of God to serve in the exact mission I was meant to be in, but then online proselyting was announced and I had this profound realization... God loves me, He knows me, and He wants to help me help His children.
This blog has been put on the back burner for the past 10 months, but Heavenly Father has reminded me that it's time to use my talents to share His gospel online. The inspiration came to me as I was listening to Sandra Turley perform at the Washington DC Temple Visitors' Center. Sandra has been blessed with this beautiful singing voice that grabs hold of your heart and settles in the soul. She spoke a great deal of God that night, and the love that He has for each and every one of His children. She then talked about this gift we have each been given. A "voice" is what she called the gift, but I knew for me it was more of a metaphorical voice. One that didn't sing, but instead one that wrote. In my heart I knew that this blog was a gift given to me from Heavenly Father and I needed to use it to spread His message of hope and gospel of truth. We're all pretty aware of the things we're good at, but are we using them the way the Lord intended? That's why I'm resurfacing here on this blog, trying to show my Heavenly Father how grateful I am to be His representative, to have this blog, and to live His gospel. Find your talents, talk to God about it, and start actively using them to inspire those around you. Remember the parable of the talents? I so want to have an encounter someday where the Lord sits me down and talks to me about all the talents He blessed me with. I hope to hear him say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." (Matthew 25:21)
Stick around, I plan on being here a little more regularly. I've learned some pretty neat lessons lately, the kind that are worth sharing with the world, even if it's just the online world.
photo from: https://www.facebook.com/sandradturley
the wonderful "here's what happened" series
There were a bunch of youth tours this week at the VC. I had her another awkward moment, because that's what missionaries do – walk around looking for ways to be awkward. This time we were getting the youth grouped off to do some role plays and I mistook a leader for a youth. He was offended, and I tried to pull the "oh, it's okay people think I'm 12 all the time" but he didn't care. What's worse is he's probably my age and definitely super cute, but whatevs. I'll never see him again and I got him to help with role plays, so I guess I win? The group i latched onto was super awesome and totally went with things when i suggested we do something different and role play as if we were on Facebook. Gotta keep things current you know? It turned out really well and one kid in the group totally blew me away with his ability to just teach all of lesson one on the spot! Man, these youth are going to be such good missionaries someday!
this week was like a wonderful "here's what happened" series. i once wrote home about a guy who walked into the VC having a super rough day. i ended up playing the christus for him and i think i remember describing the situation like word vomit. that's what i did. i just kept saying all this stuff and then he just cried and said thank you. i knew that i had said what he needed to hear and that i had fulfilled my purpose as a visitors center missionary. well, i walk out of a meeting on sunday and there he is at church!! i didn't recognize him at first, i knew i had meet him before, but i had attached another situation to the face and though it was someone else. when it finally donned on me who he was i got sooo excited! we both realized where we had met and he again thanked me for helping him out that day. he was really struggling, and i got to do and say as the Lord would have. what a privilege!
we had a miracle walk right into church this week. she had walked in after our three hour service, and sat down. some members started talking to her and before i knew it we were getting her name, number, and making an appointment for this thursday! she was just looking for a church that talked about christ and when she found us she walked right in! her name is fari, we think she's originally from somewhere in the middle east, but she moved to DC from california. we are excited to teach her and get to know her more this week! MIRACLES!!
Gratitude and rainbows:
We had the BEST sacrament meeting ever on Sunday. Brother Thomas compiled letters from his two sons who are currently serving missions and it was like this big, huge hellloooo sister Rowley, this is what you need to change!! He titled the talk, gratitude and rainbows (rainbows being tender mercies) and focused on how gratitude leads to happiness. He used the scripture "men are that they might have joy" emphasizing the word might. It's up to us! We have to constantly seek after joy in our lives, and not just as missionaries. The most joy in life can be found in following The Lord. There really is no better way to find this joy. The stories he shared from his sons were just everything I needed to hear. Sometimes I think I'm the only one who
has a hard time being Christlike or struggles with constant happiness as a missionary, but these elders have had experiences just like me! e're all learning how to be better sons and daughters of God, and reality check sister Rowley... it takes time!
A question was posed - what was the happiest day of your life? It took no more than a few seconds for me to come up with my answer. Add guess what... Just like brother Thomas' son, it was a day I was serving the Lord as a full time missionary. It was the day I taught Sandy Stallsworth in kentlands. I know she hasn't been meeting with missionaries since that one night we put her on date, so even though she isn't progressing right now, that was the best night of my entire life. I have honestly never been happier. The spirit was so strong and I knew she was feeling Heavenly Father's love for her. I pray that she'll find the missionaries again and really take the time to learn more about the gospel. I also think of Mary Ellen and Rick anytime I think of my happiest moments. I am so grateful that The Lord has blessed me with some of the most amazing people and amazing experiences.
here's to another week of serving the Lord and my attempt to be more grateful and look for more rainbows. love you all so much and miss you too!
love, sister rowley
robot
i felt like a robot this week. i started to really struggle in the VC, feeling like we all say the same things over and over again, as if we're reading a script. it was killlling me! so i first talked to elder burnham about it (they're leaving this transfer, back to Logan, and we're all pretty much devastated about it). he gave me a few tips and then i sat on the bench and started searching the book of mormon for answers. i looked up "teach" in the index and started reading all the scriptures. i discovered that i already knew all the answers, i just need to apply them!
i must first be teachable.
rely on the example of my amazing parents (1 nephi 1:1)
rely on the example of Christ (1 nephi 20:17)
drop the bad attitude about being full VC (2 nephi 25:28)
be obedient (mosiah 3:14)
PRAY (2 nephi 32:8)
be patient with myself (2 nephi 33:1)
believe in Christ and study his words (2 nephi 33:10)
i still have many scriptures to go through, and of course i need to actually do the things i learned about, but i'm grateful that i was able to find answers in the book of mormon like that. how blessed are we to have such a powerful book to guide us in closer to the savior.
tracting into seinfeld & freedom from tights!
Once upon a time we were tracting a little bit before FHE and ended up
knocking on a door where they were watching the best show of all time.
Oh heeeey Seinfeld. Tender mercy? Miracle? Distraction? I don't know,
but it was awesome. Don't worry, I only saw it long enough to know it
was Seinfeld but not long enough to know which episode.
Best news of my life... no more tights in the VC! It's been a rule
that we must wear tights when we're at the VC for shift, even in the
summer, but they finalllly got rid of that. Yay! A positive change
amongst all these not so easy ones. Isn't it crazy how something like
tights makes the biggest difference in the life of a sister
missionary. We would've thrown a party to celebrate if we could've.
I still have those random moments where it's mind blowing that I'm on
a mission. I'll be sitting there, listening in church or even in the
middle of a lesson and I just can't believe that I'm really here. I'm
living something I never even imagined. Proof that with god, nothing
is impossible, because hellloooo Kylee Rowley is on a mission!
You know you're a missionary LIVING IN THE CITY when you're poor by
week three. For reals though. Between metro (thank goodness they
reimburse us) and all the good restaurants, I'm living the let's eat
cereal for every meal dream. Good thing I never spent that Costco card
mom sent me... We're heading that way today so I can actually have
some food for the remainder of the transfer.
With the new schedules at the VC, we no longer have sisters cleaning
the lounge after shift and guess what? It's disgusting. I cleaned and
scrubbed 2 days in a row because after you clean it once, it gets
dirty in a matter of minutes. Now i regret all those many times back
home that I put my dishes in the sink instead of this dishwasher that
was RIGHT THERE! It's not that hard to clean up after yourself. But I
suppose I'm not only learning that lesson but also learning about
tolerance, patience, and service.
President Cooke was super sad the past little while (he's back to
"livin the dream" though so we're all grateful for that). Majority of
the missionaries were late coming back from fireworks on the fourth
and it really took a toll on him. We had lost his trust - the whole
situation was very much like a bunch of disobedient kids and a very
disappointed father. He called all those who were late and uninvited
them to the nationals baseball game we all go to as a mission, somehow
we were skipped on the calling tree even though we too were late.
Instead of hearing his devastation over the phone, I had to un-invite
ourselves in person. At that time though he had been thinking about it
more and even reached a point of fasting and prayer so I was left with
a "stay tuned..." In the end, president decided that it was a slight
set up. That he knew we would all struggle to make if back in time and
that going to the nats game without the whole family would be
pointless and just downright sad. So he's taken the situation and used
it as a lesson of redemption and mercy. All those who were late have
been invited to participate in a service project on an upcoming p-day
to earn back our seat to the nats game. This whole situation has been
a humbling and thought provoking one for me, I think for president
too. I've been thinking about it lately and been able to learn a lot
more about the atonement, nature of Christ, and even myself.
I learned the importance of moving on and looking forward. As awful as
I felt for disappointing president Cooke, I was able to see that there
was nothing I could do about it, so I had to just keep smiling and
keep striving for improvement. Everyday is an opportunity to be
better. I might not have another experience where I can make it home
on time from fireworks, but I can be more obedient in other aspects of
my life and be better in other ways. The atonement was sort of brought
to life for me though this experience. Seeing how sad president was
really helped me picture just how sad Christ and Heavenly Father are
when we disobey them. It's heartbreaking and it's real. It leads to a
spiritual halt and a temporarily altered relationship. The love is
always there, which is why I think the disappointment is that much
harder. But redemption is always a part of the plan, and deep down I
knew that it would also be a part of president Cooke's plan. I knew he
loved us too much to go to the game without ALL of us. Likewise,
Heavenly Father loves us all too much to leave us in our sins unable
to progress towards that which will make not only us happiest, but Him
as well. He wants all of his children to return to him, in this life
and in the next. I see how important it is for us, the ones who made
the mistake, to step up and act. We were extended great mercy, but the
mercy alone doesn't get us to the game, we must act and earn that
trust back. Heavenly Father is the same way. We must not sit on the
sidelines and thank God for his mercy, we must use it! We must rely on
the atonement of Jesus Christ. We cannot become better or truly change
without the action part. I'm so grateful for this learning experience
and for the love that president Cooke has for us as missionaries.
There's nothing better than hearing president return to his statement,
"livin the dream!" Redemptive power is real and the atonement is
necessary. Someday I hope we can all return home to our loving
Heavenly Father and hear him say "Well done, thou good and faithful
servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee
ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." (Matthew
25:21)
LOVE YOU ALL SOOOOOOO MUCH!
- sister rowley
You know you're a missionary when you're not only awkward in person, but also online.
I'm officially the most awkward missionary ever. So we're leaving the
metro and going up this escalator to walk back to our car. Instead of
standing straight, like normal people, I end up standing sideways,
facing the other escalator that's going down. Every time someone
looked over, I pulled out my most awkward, toothless smile. The worst
part, I didn't even feel weird about it until afterwards when I
started thinking about the situation. Obviously I've been a missionary
for 9 months because awkward situations are only awkward after i think
about what I've just done. Those poor people probably thought I was
crazy.
You know you're a missionary when you're not only awkward in person,
but also online. Oh man, this one is good. So we're talking to this
kid in the DC 2nd YSA ward who is going to help us fellowship our
investigator and potentially help her move over to YSA. He starts
telling us about institute so we ask him which building it's held in.
He responds and then comes my response... for some reason I'm
incapable of handling FB in the iPad. I thought I accidentally exited
out or something so when I try to get back I then press this little
thumbs up. But when you press that it appears in the screen as a
MASSIVE thumbs up. "Where's institute?" "The Barlow center" ---
MASSIVE THUMBS UP. It's probably not as big a deal as I'm making it,
but I felt so foolish. I would never send such a thing to anyone over
FB in real life and here I am as a missionary giving this massive
thumbs up about institute. Whatevs. I wish you could've been there
because it's ten times funnier in the moment than over an email. I did
take a great picture to always remember my awkwardness :]
metro and going up this escalator to walk back to our car. Instead of
standing straight, like normal people, I end up standing sideways,
facing the other escalator that's going down. Every time someone
looked over, I pulled out my most awkward, toothless smile. The worst
part, I didn't even feel weird about it until afterwards when I
started thinking about the situation. Obviously I've been a missionary
for 9 months because awkward situations are only awkward after i think
about what I've just done. Those poor people probably thought I was
crazy.
You know you're a missionary when you're not only awkward in person,
but also online. Oh man, this one is good. So we're talking to this
kid in the DC 2nd YSA ward who is going to help us fellowship our
investigator and potentially help her move over to YSA. He starts
telling us about institute so we ask him which building it's held in.
He responds and then comes my response... for some reason I'm
incapable of handling FB in the iPad. I thought I accidentally exited
out or something so when I try to get back I then press this little
thumbs up. But when you press that it appears in the screen as a
MASSIVE thumbs up. "Where's institute?" "The Barlow center" ---
MASSIVE THUMBS UP. It's probably not as big a deal as I'm making it,
but I felt so foolish. I would never send such a thing to anyone over
FB in real life and here I am as a missionary giving this massive
thumbs up about institute. Whatevs. I wish you could've been there
because it's ten times funnier in the moment than over an email. I did
take a great picture to always remember my awkwardness :]
Party in the Nation's Capitol
We definitely had a party in the nation's Capitol on the fourth. We were given a full p-day, woooo! I was lucky enough to spend the entire day with the birthday girl, sister chapman! We went to the metro super early to avoid the crowds, but discovered that the metro didn't open until 7am... Party in McDonald's. We finally made it to the city and then went on a breakfast hunt. We ended up eating at Lincoln's waffle shop - very appropriate for the fourth. It was one of those random little places that you would never choose based on looks, but the place was hoppin and we even made some friends while there! We walked around for the majority of our day. Large groups of sisters = a major lack of solid plans and decisions. That's when I really started to miss home. But The Lord blessed me with a little piece of home and lots of love from strangers. We felt like celebs with all the "hi, sisters!" and excited waves. Yay for lots of members saying hi and making me feel loved. We also had a random run in with two boys I knew
from the U (boo and tanner, Bryn!).
We watched like 2 minutes of the parade because we were melting in the sun and it wasn't that exciting. I mean, I watched it from some random guys iPad because I couldn't see anything (short girl problems). The original plan was that we had shift at the VC that night - we were pretty bitter about it, which is stupid really, because we're missionaries for heavens sake! That's what we're here to do! Teach the gospel! I feel bad about it now, but in the moment I was really bummed that all the other missionaries would be in the city for fireworks while we were at the likely empty VC, sitting on the bench. We wend to Georgetown (my fave) and had pizza and cupcakes before heading back for shift.
As soon as we got off the metro we were informed that plans had changed and they were giving us the night off just like all the other missionaries. Birthday miracle for sister chapman! We were so pumped and so grateful. We had just gotten off the metro so we decided to hang out for a bit before going back to the city. We shopped at h&m (new skirt!), took quick showers, and then headed back for FIREWORKS IN THE CITY!!!!! Shortest but best firework show ever. It was sooooo good. I had an identity crisis because there was "worldly" music being sung by a choir and also playing during the firework show so it was weird because I wanted to just dance and sing along but I'm a missionary so I didn't know what to do. We met these adorable RM sisters, one served in Manchester I think and the other was a salt lake VC sister! They were the cutest and ended up chatting with us for
awhile. They then brought their kids over and gave us all glow sticks.
Our curfew that night was extended to 10:30pm. We figured we would leave just before the fireworks ended to make it home on time. Little did we know, the firework show was suuuuper short. All of a sudden it was over and we has to book it to the metro station. Needless to say, the crowds were CRAZY and we were late getting in. Pretty much every missionary in the mission was late. President Cooke was disappointed and I feel awful about it. I never wanted to be a missionary who disappointed the mission president.
As I reflect on my day, I regret not taking in the moment more and finding the joy in the little things like I often do in life. I
should've been more grateful and more excited, I should've tried harder to not miss home. I was in the nation's Capitol for the Fourth of July!! What a blessing it is to be living in this country. We have the restored gospel because of the founding fathers and the freedoms we enjoy here.
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called to serve in the washington d.c. north mission + washington d.c. temple visitors' center
september 25, 2013 - march 04, 2015
