goodbye to the YSA

Transfers are this week. Our area is closing, the YSA itself isn't, but the missionaries are leaving. It's not forever, but for now this is what President Cooke deems best. I have been included in the discussions about whether or not the group should continue to have missionaries, and even though I am often times a fence sitter about it, I totally see that it's time to move on. I have more to learn and do in other areas, and they as a YSA group have much to accomplish together as a team. I have total faith in them. I have had a few breakdowns, and have even had feelings of guilt. I wondered if I could have done more for them or if it was my fault that the missionaries were being taken out. I know that I did my best and that Heavenly Father is always a part of the decisions made here in the mission field. I'm just grateful that leaving is so hard - that I love these young adults so much that I don't want to say goodbye. I decided that this is what it must feel like to leave at the end of serving a mission, only ten times worse.

So I guess McDonald's hates me now. Apparently the hot mustard sauce had been discontinued? Is this true for all McDonald's? Tell me it isn't so. I went to order them for lunch and had to pick something else because I refuse to eat those nuggets without that amazing sauce. My second choice? Spicy chicken sandwich. Apparently they don't make that anymore either? Is this a Maryland thing, a we hate kylee thing, or a real thing? To make matters worse, the people working at the McDonald's near our home are NOT nice. These are the moments that I struggle to have a Christlike and missionary mindset, I did not walk away smiling. One time I wrote an entire paragraph about Mcdonalds....

Sister Fifita and I have gone on an organizing rampage. We have a lot of things to straighten out before they close this area so we are spending a lot of our time in the library. We're just trying to leave the members here in the YSA and in all the home wards with a good amount of information about the list of 400+ less actives so they aren't left with this overly massive project that then goes un-attempted.

We had dinner with Daniel last week so we could break the news to him. He looked the way I felt when the topic was first discussed... Devastated. He completely understood, but it was definitely something he didn't want to hear. He's such a good member missionary and I hope he knows how much I appreciate him. We ended up sharing a spiritual message about charity which was really more of a let us tell you how great we think you are. If I did nothing but learn to be an actively engaged member missionary from Daniel, then my time here was well spent. That's the one thing that will continue to stand out most to me here in to area, Daniel's devotion to The Lord and His work.

We've been making some major progress with online missionary work. We have had two skype lessons with Daniel Moore, a former investigator! He went back to school right after we met him so we picked him back up as an online investigator. I feel like I'm suddenly entering the real world of online missionary work. It's a miracle that we found Daniel home before leaving for school again. Internet connection sometimes becomes a problem - we had to reconnect to skype twice, but the spirit is still there! Even through a virtual lesson, the spirit can touch hearts and testify!

We had the most amazing experience at Daniel Martinez's last week. He's a less active in the QO ward. Emma wanted to go see him so she invited us along. I had never met him before and had no idea what to expect. He was just the nicest kid and I once again felt that overwhelming love Heavenly Father has for all of his children, but particularly for Daniel today. It's amazing that I can feel a snippet of that personal love He has for His lost sheep here in Maryland. We got to know him a little and then shared a video that I had felt prompted to share as we discussed what we should plan for him during comp study. I was looking through Mormon messages nonchalantly when I felt impressed to share the secure anchor video. It wasn't what I was looking for at the time, but it ended up being perfect for our lesson. I left Daniel's feeling so sad that the group will no longer have missionaries. I pray that these less actives like Daniel and Zarina don't get left behind. I pray that someone will take care of them, that the members will step up and the missionaries of home wards or maybe the MV elders take over. These YSAs are too important to me and more importantly, to Heavenly Father. I trust that president Cooke will think of something and make sure they are taken care of. I'm so glad that we were able to teach Daniel today. I've actually struggled to make that happen with our less actives. We say hi real quick, but we never get a real lesson in on the first visit. But notice that Emma was the one who set up this appointment and invited us to come along, not the other way around? Members are essential!! Especially in reactivation efforts.
Miracles happen even at 10:25pm. We have a member committed to teaching with us tomorrow! #onlyinthesinglesward  I needed that miracle before bed. I needed that little sign from Heavenly Father.

Something that elder Gardner said in district meeting has been really sticking with me - sometimes we score, sometimes we assist. Both players are essential in the game. Right now I'm assisting, I'm finding people for other missionaries to teach. And even though all the investigators I've taught in this area ended up being a former, I assisted the missionaries who will someday come in when the time and setting is just right for the score.

Something I've been thinking about lately is how grandpa's Alzheimer's is a blessing for our family. Because of this trial, we have all been given the opportunity to better develop Christlike attributes. I've seen it in the letters and emails I receive from home. I read about all the little things everyone has done to help both grandma and grandpa and I can't help but feel grateful to be part of such a wonderful family. I'm especially grateful for grandma as and confines to love and care for grandpa, even though I imagine it's really hard to do. As I see and hear about the trials that other missionaries and their families are going through, I see just how lucky we are, and just how kind Heavenly Father is. Trials cannot be avoided in this life, but as elder Eyring said in the general women's broadcast, our trials have been perfectly planned for us. Not only am I blessed with an amazing family back home, but also an amazing mission family. It's an honor to serve here under the direction of president and sister Cooke. It's also an honor to be surrounded by so many valiant elders and faithful sisters. The missionaries here are amazing. So many of them have and are currently going through trials that I could never handle with the grace and strength that they do. Divorce, illness, cancer, death... they just keep moving forward doing all they can to love others and share the gospel. I am surrounded by true disciples of Jesus Christ. I'm not always good at showing or telling people how much I love them and I fear that so many of these missionaries will go home and move on with life without ever knowing the impact they had on
me.

I love you all so much and I am so grateful for the inspiration that you are to me. Thank you for loving the Lord and for loving me. Next time I write I'll have a new home and new people to meet. I sort of feel like I'm a brand new missionary again.

Love,

Sister Rowley

If sister rowley had Instagram....

happy birthweek to me! #giantcupcake #momsarebetter

surprised by @sistermendenhall @sisterballs and @danielblack #birthdayattack #feelingloved
 

cake for breakfast #itsfine #birthdayweek #noregrets #betterthanwhatever

breakfast at the VC! the @seniorcouples are the best! #vcdc #iwantseconds

meet sister adelina, the best 4yr old missionary ever. #sistermissionaries #vcdc

the secret to a happy missionary #branmuffins #quickandeasy #tastytoo

guess who just got their third new investigator this for the week?! #10key #holla #teamfifiley #vcdc

weekly planning all the day long #forrealsthough

#birthdayweek #24 #ilovethevc #somanymiracles

Tuesday was our p day this week because of the snow. We had a zone
activity and if was definitely the best one I've been to so far! Elder
hatch and Alca put a lot of time and effort into making it a great
activity. We did the amazing race (I thought of Eric and Tamara!). We
solved riddles, we put together a puzzle, we (everyone but me) ate
gross food like sardines, tofu, and peppers, we chased down a lepricon
and threw snowballs at him, we searched through hymn books to find a
sticky note that matched our team color, used our iPads to find
specific Mormon message videos, and even ran through the snow to find
a key. My favorite part was probably lunch though chicken Parmesan and
salad and if was just soo good! One of the members of their ward made
it for us! One thing I've learned serving in the YSA: nothing bests
home cooked meals!
We forgot to make daily goals on Tuesday, so when we were at the
library we made some goals. You know what they say, you plan to fail
when you fail to plan. I have a testimony of that statement. As soon
as we made those goals and then left the library, we found a man named
Norbert outside. He's from Uganda and was just enjoying the sun while
it lasted. We invited him to watch general conference and then got his
name so we could add him on Facebook! We have an online potential
investigator!! It really is so important to make goals so that you
have something to work towards. When you show Heavenly Father that
you're willing to try your best for that day, he blesses you with ways
to accomplish much!
Sister busath and I have started including each other in our emails
home. It's been fun to read about her week and see pictures too. We
only get to see each other once a week for a few minutes so I'm glad
we have a new system for catching up (hi, sister busath!).
We finally got to teach Jeff on Tuesday night! Our only investigator
right now (we had to drop Gabriel). Jeff had cancelled our last two
appointments so it was a miracle that we were able to get over there
and teach him. President Cooke's daughter Carrie came out with us!we
taught the plan of salvation and turns out it's way less scary to
teach it than I thought. Thank goodness for sister Fifita, for her
picture display, and for the spirit. We were first able to help him
with concerns which also allowed us to see where he is and what we
should do with our next lesson. Our plan is to go to the VC and watch
the Joseph smith movie. We want him to better understand the
restoration and the significance of that before we move onto the
gospel of Jesus Christ. He hasn't been reading his Book of Mormon, but
when we told him about the gospel library app he downloaded it right
then and there! It was great to have Carrie with us because she was
able to really relate to him and how hard it can be to read your
scriptures. I really see a difference in the lessons where we have a
member present verses the ones where we don't. Members really are
essential in missionary work! They can do so much more for
investigators than we can (and yes, this is me telling you to go out
with the missionaries).
So hey, I'm 24 now! I was spoiled rotten on my birthday. I didn't know
what to expect as a missionary, but I certainly didn't expect the day
that I had. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by so many amazing
people. Sister Fifita woke up early to make me pancakes for breakfast.
Sadly, I had failed to set my alarm the night before so it was
actually 8am instead of 6am like she thought. It's the thought that
counts though and that thought made me so happy! I'm so glad she
randomly got up at 8 instead of both of us sleeping until noon or
something. It's a miracle that I didn't freak out when I saw what time
it was. I accepted the fact that there was nothing I could do about it
and I just did what I could to get ready and move on with the day.
Proof that I'm going to come home as a new and improved person :]
Sister Mendenhall found a way to spoil me too, even though we aren't
even companions anymore. Her and her companion, sister balls, live
super close to us so the night before my birthday they showered me
with birthday love all over the windows. I peeked out in the morning
to see what the weather was like and saw a paper star on the window,
it confused me so I opened the window and there it was... a whole
bunch of birthday signs! It was the best surprise ever! They also did
the big window in our living room, but I didn't see it until we were
heading out the door, I was surprised all over again! Turns out Daniel
was with them too. When I mentioned it at lunch his reaction was way
too easy to read, I could tell that he at least already knew it
happened, and turns out he was with them! I got permission from elder
Miyasaki to go out of area for lunch, so sister Fifita, Daniel, and I
celebrated 24 years at the Cheesecake Factory! It worked out perfectly
because we also had a meeting with president Cooke that day so we were
closer to him from Cheesecake Factory that we would've been from home.
When we arrived at the mission office for our meeting, sister Pearson
sang happy birthday to me twice and just made me feel so loved! One
(yeah, she sent two!) of the packages Jess had sent was also at the
mission office so I was able to take that home with me! So many
birthday miracles! Our meeting with president was pretty short, he
just wanted to talk about the Seneca singles. He's pretty much made up
his mind about what he wants to do, but I think out of respect and
courtesy to me and my love for the people here, he wanted to make sure
that I was okay with what is happening. Things are still being
discussed and decided, but it's possible that the missionaries will be
taken out of the area until the group becomes a little more stable and
the missionary work a little more promising. I think I needed this
last transfer here to feel okay with that decision. Last transfer I
wasn't ready. Isn't it amazing to see how kind Heavenly Father is?
Perhaps they really didn't need missionaries here this transfer, who
knows, perhaps I just needed time to be okay with whatever happens.
Perhaps sister Fifita had something to learn from the Seneca singles,
and maybe we were the only two who could touch Jeff and invite him to
meet with missionaries again.
We had a birthday miracle on Facebook too! As a birthday request, I
asked Daniel to go through his Facebook friends and find at least one
person we could talk to and potentially share the gospel with. He sent
us the information for a high school friend named Matthew. We started
a conversation and Matthew even wrote back! I'm not sure where it's
going to go yet, but at least we've made the effort to try! The
Melgar-Fetzer family fed us dinner for my birthday! They have to YSA,
Natalie & Greg (Greg is someone we're trying to work with) They are
the sweetest! Earlier that day, Natalie texted us and asked what my
top three favorite cakes are and then we go over for dinner and get
this.... Better than whatever cake. It felt just like home! She could
have chosen any other kind, but it was my annual birthday cake!
BIRTHDAY MIRACLES ALL DAY LONG! We even got Greg to come to institute
as my birthday gift! I told him it's my birthday every week, but I
don't think it worked. The birthday love continued at institute too.
The caffees came in with a bag full of candy, a balloon, and a
birthday crown. Kaycee brought me giant cupcakes too! So many sweets,
so much love! They also sang to me, which I've decided makes me feel
awkward. They sang to me at the zone activity on Tuesday as well -
which was actually pretty funny because sis Fifita was the one who set
that up and she was being suuuuper weird when we were getting ready to
leave. She kept lingering and I continuously asked her why she was
being so weird and then they started singing!
Sister Welch is here! She was my visitors center teacher in the MTC!
She's here for the sealing of a family she taught, but we were lucky
enough to see her too. I had the best day at the VC. I'd maybe even
say it was the best VC day I've ever had! A group of about 10 college
interns came in with their professor and wanted a tour of the VC. They
were a political/religious class and I did NOT want to give the tour.
Heavenly Father had a different plan though, and we were asked to give
the tour. We didn't really have time to prepare anything, and our plan
was to just show them what we have and tell them briefly why we have
that exhibit. We ended up teaching quite a bit of doctrine and it was
amazing! They even had questions that allowed us to teach even more
doctrine - we ended up going pretty deep into the plan of salvation.
At the end of the tour we gave everyone a guest card and invited them
to learn more from missionaries just like us. If that wasn't something
they were interested in, we invited them to give us their email of
Facebook name so that we could keep in contact and answer any other
questions they had, I even offered a pen so they had no excuse not to
fill one out :]  One girl, Karissa, accepted the pen offer and then
later returned if with a little thank you note at the top of her card.
She hadn't written in her information but she sincerely thanked us for
the information, the experience, and our testimonies; which is so cool
because while we were teaching them I was continuously prompted to
share my testimony. Heavenly Father knew what Karissa needed. As she
gave me the card she asked if she could get a BOM. I told her that the
best way would be to give me her address and I could send
missionaries. She responded so sincerely that she didn't want it to
sound like a cop out, but that she honestly didn't know her address. I
got her email and phone number and had he promise to answer when I
called, and then got her a BOM. Meanwhile, another student named
Andre, who had also given me his email and number asked for a BOM.
Turns out they are all living in the same apartment while they intern
so I got that address and now that they have the Book of Mormon,
missionaries will be coming over to teach them! I had the most amazing
conversation with them before they left. It was this little 3 minute
conversation that made my day. The spirit was so strong as I talked to
Karissa about how much God loves her and that the feelings she was
feeling today was that love. I promised her that the BOM would provide
those same feelings. I bookmarked Moroni 10 for her and invited her to
apply that promise throughout her entire BOM experience. I could
almost literally see the spirit working on her heart. She is as
prepared as they come. Her appreciation for the experience was
evidence to me that she was learning so much more than the facts and
doctrine. I wish I could better describe the appreciation and love
that was exchanged in those few minutes. Of all the wonderful people
I've met in the VC, this is the one that I care most about, this is
the one girl that I will do everything I can to help her find the
truth. If Karissa is the only person I end up helping on my mission,
it will all be worth it. Turns out, the professor was Mormon. We had
no idea! He even came up to us after and asked us questions about the
church that nonmembers would ask. When some of the other sisters went
to talk to him he admitted that he was a member but didn't want his
students to know. It suddenly made sense! They were studying politics
and religion, and we taught them nothing about politics. Some kid even
asked us how the two related and the only answer we gave was that
knowing god loves us and has a plan for us helps us deal with the bad
things that happen in the world today and that sometimes includes
politics. I so badly wanted to thank that professor for bringing his
students in. Because of that, two more of god's children are going to
learn from missionaries. TWO!
We had an amazing stake correlation meeting tonight. An area seventy
was in attendance and I really learned a lot from him. Something that sister Duzett (MV ward
missionary) said tonight at the meeting really stood out to me -
"every calling is a missionary calling". We are given so many
opportunities to invite others to learn more about the gospel, it's
not set aside just for those who are ward missionaries. This is a
principle I really want to apply when I get home. I really am
convinced that one of there reasons I'm here serving a mission is so I
could learn how to become a better member missionary.
I had so many miracles at the VC this week. It truly is remarkable to
see how Heavenly Father sends us the elect. Lois Holmes walked in
today, one of those "I was just curious" walk ins. They may not
recognize it yet, but I know that Heavenly Father leads them there.
She has researched a lot of religions and even researched the LDS
faith, but only through books and internet, which means she probably
came across plenty of anti and misinformation. We started by telling
her about the temple. She was the sweetest lady just soaking
everything in. When we asked if she had questions she just kept saying
she wanted to know our doctrine so we taught her the restoration. She
had a question that I didn't know the answer to but I'm determined to
find the answer - what is the historical time period for the BOM
verses the bible? *cough - mom.... Dad*
They overlap, yeah? Certain parts take place at the same time only in
America instead of Israel right? I told her I wasn't super good at
history and that I didn't know the answer but would look it up for her
and have it for her next time - she appreciated my honesty. She wanted
to know more about the BOM and found it interested that we believe in
modern day prophets and apostles. We played for her a snippet of
president Uchtdorf's most recent sermon, "come join us". It was so
perfect because she asked if they were all from America so I wanted to
show her president Uchtdorf as an example that they aren't all from
America and then his most recent sermon ended up being the absolutely
perfect for Lois in that moment. We invited her to come back to the VC
for general conference and also invited her to learn more from
missionaries. It was another one of those I love you so much even
though I just met you moments where I actually started crying as I was
sharing with her my testimony of the restored gospel. I was boldly,
but sweetly, telling her that I KNOW this is God's true church and
this is what she's searching for. I cried, she hugged me,and then she
respectfully and kindly declined the missionaries, saying she doesn't
like having a middle man. She likes to take to god directly. I
understood where she was coming from, but tried to explain the calling
we have as missionaries and who we represent. She wanted a BOM but not
missionaries. At the VC, we have copies of the BOM but we don't hand
them out too often, because we really try to encourage them to let us
send if with the local missionaries. Sometimes (three times for me
this week) you go another route - you change to meet the investigators
needs. Sister Fifita went to grab her a BOM, meanwhile i bore
testimony of the love, answers, and truth that can be found within. I
asked her if she would reconsider letting us send missionaries once
she started reading and discovering the truthfulness of it. She said
yes!!! She even mentioned that she would pray before she started
reading and then when we invited her to look around some more she said
she had to go so she could go home to eat lunch and then start reading
the BOM. She was legitimately excited to read the Book of Mormon and
it inspired me! Am I that excited to read it when I study in the
morning? Are you? I just love Lois and I know that Heavenly Father
sent her to me. #ilovethevc Remember how I sort of hated it when I
first got here? #mightychangeofheart

Love you all so much!!!

love, sister rowley

pics of the week

up on the roof of the DC Temple

       

back in the city

  

temple tour & stake conference

Tuesday
March 11, 2014

… My own testimony of the temple
was strengthened tonight. I was actually praying for that when I was
at the temple last time, and I sort of expected to have some kind of
amazing experience that day in the temple, but I didn't. Instead I had
an amazing experience today, when I least expected it. Perhaps I
needed it more today than I did when I was asking for it. I just felt
so much love from Heavenly Father tonight and so much love for the
temple. I felt a little snippet of the joy I felt my first time going
through. I'm grateful for the tender mercies Heavenly Father gives me
as I try my best to serve his people here in Maryland. I also gained a
testimony of the power of the visitors center and the sister
missionaries within. It was humbling to see how our lessons at the VC
can impact the lives of others, missionaries included. I feel so
honored (and sometimes overwhelmed) to be a visitors center sister. I
get to represent the temple and the joys that are within.

Wednesday
March 12, 2014

We went to red robin today and yep, I was asked if I wanted a kids
menu. Story of my life.

Thursday
March 13, 2014

Elder Alca gave a workshop on Facebook today and I felt
that I'm not living up to my potential as an
online missionary. I've been feeling that way for quite some time now,
but today I really saw some things that I can do better. I'm grateful
to know I'm not alone though, even the greatest missionaries I know
are struggling to do their best with online proselyting. We're all
trying to figure this out together. The biggest thing I gained from
that workshop was that Heavenly Father knows best. The times that I've
sincerely prayed to know what to do with my FB time, have been the
most productive and rewarding. Today I learned that it's not just a
one time prayer, but instead it needs to happen every time I prepare
to go online. Because the online world is so vast, there are so many
ways we can spend our time, and only Heavenly Father knows exactly how
sister Rowley should be spending her FB time on any given day - not
elder fletcher, not elder Alca, not elder Miyasaki, not even president
Cooke! Heavenly Father is preparing specific people for me to help and
only He can lead me to them. Elder Alca reminded us that if we want to
see success in our areas, we must involve our members. We cannot
successfully do this work without their help.

I've been really struggling (how many times can I use that word
today?) with leading companionship study, especially when we plan for
someone. I feel so inadequate. It's one of those things where I wish
there was a how-to manual to read, but instead I'm being forced to try
and fail and try again only to feel like I failed again. Thinking of
being a trainer someday gives me anxiety. We really hit some walls as
we were planning for our plan of salvation lesson with Jeff tonight. I
often feel uninspired and end up lacking confidence in my skills and
in my knowledge of the things I'm supposed to teach. I get defensive
and start blaming it on the fact that I've never taught this lesson
before. I also fall into guilt traps where I feel as though I didn't
study long enough of hard enough to know the material well enough. I
suppose this will be an opportunity to rely solely upon the spirit
because I really don't have the capabilities in my own.

Saturday
March 15, 2014

Sis Fifita and I tried something different on FB today. We haven't
seen the fruits yet, but we tried looking for Christian groups or
religious hashtags in an attempt to find new investigators online. We
messaged at least 6 random people so hopefully something comes of our
attempt to do more as online missionaries.

You're going to love this... Once upon a time Sister Fifita and I
walked into a Mexican bar. We were looking for somewhere to eat dinner
tonight and our gps told us there was a la frontera nearby so we
decided to check it out. This was me trying to find a certainly not as
good, but hopefully somehow good enough birthday smothered burrito. We
walk in, fail to notice our surroundings, and then sit down. When I
look the menu and see "restaurant and bar" i realize that the Mexican
men are all drinking beer and we are not where we should be. Sister
Fifita was the best. She was so quick to stand up and get us out of
there. Sometimes missionaries do stupid things, even 24-year old
sister missionaries... See what happens a when you let your stomach
make decisions and not your head. Somehow, someway I will find a
smothered burrito here in Maryland.

Tonight was stake conference and I had the neatest experience. We were
just sitting there, listening to a musical number and out of nowhere
an overwhelming sense of happiness just filled my soul. I was
legitimately happy to be here - here in stake conference, in Maryland,
in the YSA, with sis Fifita, on a mission. This is what it feels like
to be a devoted, happy missionary. This is how I want to feel for the
next 11 months. Tony Alvarez was at stake conference!! I had
never met him before, but his name had been mentioned multiple times
in multiple situations as YSAs in the stake were discussed. Pretty
sure sis busath had mentioned him a few times when she was serving in
quince orchard. He's a less active and apparently this was his first
time back to church in a really long time. We talked to the quince of
orchard elders and turns out he had posted on FB that he was at church
for the first time in forever and was so unexplainably happy! MIRACLE!
I'm learning that working with less actives is just as important as
working with investigators. They need our help, and most importantly
Christ, just as much as investigators do. There was a moment today
when sister Fifita and I talked about how excited we are to return
home and immerse ourselves in the same work only on the opposite end.
I cannot wait to be a member missionary when I get home!

Monday
March 17, 2014

… Yesterday morning we had the opportunity to get a special tour of the
temple from brother Todd, the security guy for the temple. I'm not
sure he's allowed to let us go through like that, but we got to and it
was super neat. It ended up being a huuuge group which may or may not
prevent future missionaries from getting such tours. It's usually just
the sisters who get a tour, but we were largely outnumbered by elders.
I finally got to see the baptistry and we got to see the brides room
and even things like the laundry room and offices. The best was the
beginning when we went up into the big meeting room that is at the top
of the temple. It was unlike anything else I've seen in my life. It
was so cool and you could tell that there was a special spirit there.
I feel pretty certain that Christ has been in that room. From there we
went to the top of the temple. I, Kylee Rowley, stood on top of the
tallest temple in the world. How many people can say that they've done
such a thing? Probably only the missionaries of the DC north mission
and a few others. We were there just in time to watch the sunrise. It
was indeed picture perfect. We got to see the celestial room from up
top, which was the best because everyone was quietest at this moment.

I walked away that day with a little
keepsake, some gold scrap from a spire that had fallen during an
earthquake or something (thank you elder porter).
Our snow day was cut short today (thank goodness)! We were able to go
to the library and FHE! We saw elder Alca and Hatch at the library and
then we went to the mall to eat dinner and guess who had the same
idea... Sis Fifita and I then walked over to lost knife, looking for a
former named Vincent. Turns out he moved, but the kid living there
give us his info so we could send the Spanish missionaries over. It
took us forever to find his house, and we had to ask for directions,
but had we been able to find it on our own, we wouldn't have met
Desmond and gotten his information for the French elders. He is
awesome and I am soo excited for them to start teaching him! He's from
Cameroon and has even read the BOM before! Except it was an English
BOM so it was hard for him to understand. I pray that the elders will
be able to help him. He was so great and definitely sees God in his
life. He's very appreciative of the creation and the beautiful world
we live in despite the wickedness and the crap everywhere. I continue
to find great joy in finding people for other missionaries to teach.
I'm so glad sis Fifita taught me how to find people and talk with
everyone. We've had more contacted referrals than ever before in my
mission! Being at the mall for FHE was kind of weird today. I felt
worldly, especially when journeys was playing a pinback song.

LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!

be member missionaries and tell me your stories! i want to hear about the work you're doing at home and the things you're learning in studies and whatnot!!! hope everyone has a great week! thank you for your prayers and your love!

love, sister rowley

pics of the week

Had a rough day on Friday so ice cream was the solution. Homemade
black raspberry with chocolate chunks in it. #bestever

mission work

   

I love to see the temple

It was at the Visitors' Center last night, that my appreciate for the temple grew. Just two weeks prior, I had attended the temple and prayed for an experience there that would strengthen my testimony. I was hoping to better understand the purpose and sacredness of the temple in my life. I walked away feeling certain that God was there and that He loved me, but I wasn't sure if I left with an answer to my prayer. Per usual, the answer came when and how I least expected it to. Heavenly Father always provides the best answers at the best time - something I've grown to really understand and appreciate here in the mission field.

We were there for a tour with one of the young single adults (oh how I love these young people I get to serve!), and it felt as though everything was perfect. The spirit was there in abundance as we discussed our loving Savior, the temple, and the best ways to prepare for the spiritual experiences that await us within. Although the tour was meant for someone other than me, I felt overwhelmed with peace, love, and happiness as the spirit testified to me that there is no purer place to be than inside one of the Lord's holy temples. I know that Heavenly Father loves all of his children and that we can feel closest to Him when we attend the temple. I know that reading our scriptures daily, attending church weekly, and doing our best to follow the example of Jesus Christ prepares us for the direction and love that we discover inside the temple.

I mean it when I say it, I love to see the temple and I feel honored to be a sister missionary here in the Washington, DC Temple Visitors' Center. I couldn't pick a better place to be.


“In the temples, members of the Church who make themselves eligible can participate in the most exalted of the redeeming ordinances that have been revealed to mankind.” -- Elder Boyd K. Packer

Have questions about the temple?? Leave a comment below, I'd be more than happy to answer!
Also visit mormon.org or lds.org for more information about temples and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

A week full of miracles!

Family! Friends! Hello from DC!

We had an amazing week in the Seneca singles! Sister Fifita and I have
been really working on talking with EVERYONE. There was even one time
where we didn't invite a family after asking them where a certain
house was so I just decided to awkwardly knock on their door like ten
minutes after they had already gone inside. No regrets! They weren't
interested, but we invited them to come to the VC sometime. We are so
blessed to have the VC in our mission. It really is such a great way
to leave the door cracked for those who don't want to open it all the
way.

Where to begin?? Miracle 1 - WE HAVE A NEW INVESTIGATOR! Best thing
ever!! His name is Jeff and he's a former investigator. The first time
we were going to see him we didn't because his teaching record said
his mom was a less active in the French branch so we wanted to talk to
the French elders first. We finally went back and couldn't find his
house. We could've just given up, but we eventually found it and we
knocked and knocked and knocked and then finally he answered and it
only gets better from here! He was home, super nice, and super willing
to let us come back later in the week. When we showed up he already
had three chairs outside set ion for our meeting (we didn't have a
third female to come with so we had to meet outside) and when he came
out he had his Book of Mormon with him! We reviewed the restoration
and then invited him to be baptized on April 13th (his birthday
present to Taylor)! He's definitely our miracle find for the area.

Zarina is a less active that we've been trying to get to church since
I met her in October and guess what... She finally came to church on
Sunday!! MIRACLE! We had a lot of miracles on Sunday. We got to eat
dinner with Laura and her family and it was just so amazing. The food,
the company, everything. I sort of felt like I was at home, enjoying
sarcastic conversations and we even had one of dad's favorite
desserts, strawberry short cake! Definitely a tender mercy from
Heavenly Father. They even teased me about going to the U instead of
BYU! Told you it felt like home, something that I really appreciated.
We miss out on those opportunities being with the YSA and eating out
all the time, it's nice to eat a home cooked meal with a family. Sis
Premont was telling us how much we mean to the group and I just
started crying. She said that we are the reason Laura started going to
the group and I was able to see just how important we are to these
YSAs. We might not have many investigators, but we're helping someone
and I am finally starting to see just how much we've helped. It feels
good to be appreciated like that. Sis caffee expressed similar
feelings at a meeting we had on Tuesday and I of course started crying
then too. I know what they mean when they say you will love the people
you serve, because I truly love these young single adults. So much. I
feel like I kind of understand how dad feels when he says he loves the
YSA back home. It's amazing. And it's all because Christ loves them so
much.

We had a lot of success tracting this week. There was one day when I
felt compelled to knock on a door and there we met the Castillo family
who didn't speak much English but accepted our invitation to learn
more from missionaries who do speak Spanish! Elder Alca and elder
hatch will teach them, and I couldn't pick a better set of elders to
teach them. Ps. Elder Alca is going back to byu-I after this transfer
so you need to look for him Taylor! He's the one who thanked you for
the cookies mom, so you can show her who he is. He's been my zone
leader ever since I got here and I don't think he'll ever know how
much I appreciated all he taught me and did for us as we struggled
with our area. Not long after finding the Castillo's, we found Bruce,
we aren't sure how interested he was but he said yes to missionaries
coming by! We then had some amazing experiences on Sunday night. We
went looking for less actives Sunday night and sister Fifita was
totally in tune! She picked a door and we met Leo, a man from china
who said yes to missionaries coming back over! As we left he said "god
be with you" and then taught us how to say it in Chinese, of course I
forgot though. But it was so awesome, finding people everywhere! That
night I didn't have a BOM in my bag but we had them in the car and for
some reason I felt like I needed to put one in my bag so I took some
stuff out and added a BOM instead. We continued to search for less
actives and I felt impressed to see someone else that we hadn't
included in our initial plans. So we go to her house and turns out she
wasn't home so we decided to tract a little. We were about to head
back when sister Fifita picked one more door to knock on. There we met
jami. Her husband is currently a pastor for another church, but she
was super nice and talked to us. When we asked her if she had heard of
Mormons she said that her father once read the BOM. I asked her if she
had ever read it and when she said no I invited her to do so. And
that's why the spirit prompted me to put the BOM in my bag!!! I am
soooo glad I listened to that prompting!! She threw out the "but the
bible says we shouldn't add to it" comment, and we didn't really have
a great answer, but we did share our testimony and that was when
everything changed. She sensed our sincerity and humility and then
said she would read it. Even though we aren't finding YSAs to teach I
feel the same satisfaction and same sense of fulfillment. We're still
helping God's children find the truth.

Love you all so much! Thank you for all you do and for the prayers you
say in my behalf. I'm here because of all of you, so thank you!

Love, Sister Rowley

pday in the city

pics of the week

write

work

hasten

Help thou mine unbelief

Snow day yesterday! I keep getting dizzy randomly. That's what
happened when I got sick a couple weeks ago, I would get dizzy and
then next would come the nausea. I threw up again this week, but I
don't know what's going on with me. I hope the dizziness stops. Does
stress cause such symptoms? Or am I just not over whatever I had a
couple weeks ago? Sister Fifita was also sick last week so I had quite
a bit of time on my hands. I ended up watching the district and had a
really neat experience because of it. When people talk about how they
came to know the Book of Mormon is true, it seems as though they
prayed and just like that they knew. I never had an experience like
that, and rarely do. It's not that Heavenly Father isn't answering my
prayers, but rather he speaks to me in different ways. That night
sister Mendenhall and I taught Patrick about the Book of Mormon and
quite literally confounded the wise... that was a time where the Holy
Ghost bore witness to me that the Book of Mormon truly is the word of
God. Sister Mendenhall was testifying and my heart was exploding (in a
good way). It's true what they say, that bearing your testimony
strengthens others. As I was watching the district, one of the elders
started talking about his experience with praying about the Book of
Mormon and knowing it was true. As I was listening to this elder talk
about the Book of Mormon I was overwhelmed with an
indescribable-my-heart-is-going-to-jump-out-of-my-body feeling. It
wasn't when I was praying that I got my answer about the Book of
Mormon, but I definitely got my answer. It is indeed the word of God.
I also gained a testimony of sharing your testimony. There's a pattern
here. Sister Mendenhall bore testimony of the Book of Mormon and by so
doing I felt the truthfulness of what she was saying. Elder Murray
bore testimony of the Book of Mormon in the district and it was his
testimony that strengthened mine. It's interesting that this is what
I'm choosing to share right now, because yesterday I was really
feeling down on my abilities and my knowledge. I often feel like I
don't know the doctrine of the scriptures very well, and maybe I
don't, but I do know what I feel and I do know my testimony. I think
that's the most powerful part of a lesson, the testimony, not the
doctrine. Without a testimony, a lesson is just facts. Without a
testimony, it's just you talking, not the Holy Ghost. Share your
testimony! You never know, you might be the !answer to someone's
prayer.

Feelings of inadequacy seem to be a pretty regular thing for me here.
The perfectionist within is Satan's go-to. As I was writing my letter
to President Cooke today, I was able to reflect on where I'm at. This
week I really struggled with feeling adequate as a representative of
The Lord and as a companion. We had a couple experiences yesterday at
the VC where I felt like I wasn't being a very good teacher. I even
feel like I don't know how to properly plan. And then we got the call
from the APs stating that the study plan for this transfer is number
five, and what's the first thing we're asked to study?... Daily
planning. Heavenly Father is certainly looking out for me. He really
does know what my weaknesses are and wants to help me overcome them.
And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give
unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient
for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble
themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak
things become strong unto them. (Ether 12:27)

I think that's one if the hardest parts of serving a mission, noticing
your weaknesses more than ever before and not knowing how to deal with
all of them. I think I need to start with one and refine that one area
of my life and remind myself that perfection is not possible. Heavenly
Father never asked me to come out here and be a perfect missionary, He
just asked me to come out and do my best. I sometimes still wonder why
I came on a mission and every time I start to think about that
Heavenly Father reminds me why. "Therefore, if ye have desires to
serve God ye are called to the work" (D&C 4:3). I had actually read
that scripture before leaving on a mission and received a witness from
The Lord that he was calling me to serve because of the deep desires
in my heart. Even though I say that serving a mission was the last
thing I wanted to do with my life, that scripture tells me otherwise.
I love Heavenly Father, I know this gospel is true, and I know enough
to help others feel those same things in their life. That is why I was
called to serve a mission. As President Uchtdorf reminds us, "doubt
your doubts before you doubt your faith."

Sometimes we make plans and then everything falls through and even
though it's really discouraging at the time, you eventually see that
Heavenly Father was just closing one door so you could open another
one, a better one. We had plans to take a less active to the VC for a
tour, and after hours and hours of asking and searching we eventually
found her a ride. She ended up not being home when we went to pick her
up, and we had to cancel the tour. We were with Daniel (you remember
right?!... Best member missionary EVER!) who has really befriended our
investigator, Gabriel. We randomly called Gabriel, picked up him and
his sister Tobie and went for ice cream. We then went back to tobie
and Gabriel's to eat ice cream and have a spiritual thought. We shared
with Gabriel the Mormon message patterns of light - the spirit of
revelation. Elder bednar so perfectly describes the way we get answers
from God. Watch it!! We ended up inviting Gabriel to be baptized on
March 23rd. I think he was pretty shocked, but he said he'd pray about
it. We're going over tomorrow to follow up. Moment of truth! He's so
ready, he just needs some help seeing it. That's why we were so blunt
with our invitation. The spirit was definitely a part of that lesson,
I felt it and he surely felt it, now he has his agency.

We had a wonderful lesson in relief society sunday. It was combined,
the home ward, the YSA and even the young women were there. We talked
about visiting teaching, which totally made me think of your email
mom! So cool that you got a letter back from Sister Oscarson! The
stake relief society president shared some really neat experiences she
has had throughout her  life and I was just really touched by how
selfless the women of the church are. Those who already have so much
to do for their own families, take extra time to help others. Sister
Nayeli Johnson (look her up on FB - she's under my friends) was the
last to speak and I was just bawling because I love her so much. Even
though we work with the YSAs, I've had the opportunity to get to know
sister Johnson and to even serve her! I think that's when my love for
her really grew - when we went over and cleaned her kitchen for her.
The Johnson family is moving in May, so I'm extremely grateful that
they were here while I was here. Their family is so missionary work
oriented and just such an inspiration to me. I really do love the
people I get to associate with and if we ever go to Texas as a family,
we're meeting up with the Johnson's!

As I'm writing right now, I'm really missing you all. I know I'm
surrounded by great people, but i really miss MY people. I couldn't
ask for a better family to be a part of. Distance really does make the
heart grow fonder. I wish I could adequately express how much i love
you all. I know this is where I'm supposed to be, but that doesn't
mean I don't sometimes miss home and long to be with those I love the
most.

I got my first real street contact referral last week! We were out
searching for former investigators and Daniel was actually with us.
The kid we were looking for wasn't home, and as we were walking back
to the car we saw some guy outside putting air in his tires and
listening to some Jamaican music. I tried to wave and say hi but he
didn't see me. As we kept walking I kept feeling like I needed to be a
better missionary and talk to this guy. I ended up saying something
out loud and Daniel told me to go back. So we did. I told him I liked
his music, invited him to the VC, and ended up inviting him to meet
with missionaries. Got his name, number, and address! And that's what
happens when you go back, you find a potential family for some
missionaries to teach. A monumental moment in my mission for sure. I'm
glad that Daniel was there and that he pushed me to go back. He has
helped me in countless ways. I've definitely gained a new friend out
of this too. I will certainly keep up with him and his life once i go
home. Yay for FB helping me do that!

Sunday we had a really great experience at the VC. Steve, a less
active, randomly showed up at church so Daniel suggested we all go to
the VC that night for a tour. Notice how Daniel suggested it, not
us... told you he was the best member missionary ever. We've been
trying to work with Steve for a while now, but haven't been sure on
how. He's pretty closed off so it's been hard to get to know him but
we had an amazing experience at the VC! We all left with a renewed
sense of who we are and what our relationship is/can be with Christ.
The entire tour was about Christ and we talked a lot about the
atonement. We watched "finding faith in Christ" and I think that was
the major turning point for Steve. We ended up having a really great
discussion with him afterwards. When I asked him what he gained of
learned from the VC that night, he said it was that the love if Christ
is real and that he felt it. He's been going through some stuff
lately, so I'm so glad he was able to feel that love yesterday. While
that lesson was for Steve, I gained a lot myself. I hadn't had the
greatest day and I was able to see that despite all my weaknesses, I
have the ability to help others. Something I said that night helped
Steve in some way. I matter. To The Lord, to this area, and to this
mission. I don't always feel that way, but yesterday for a brief
moment I did. The thing that stood out most to me in the "finding
faith in Christ" movie was when a man brings his son to Jesus to cast
out the evil spirit and Christ asks him if he has the faith that his
son can be healed and the man quickly replies with a definite yes! And
then Christ gives him this look, and you can just tell that he knows
exactly what this man is feeling and thinking and the man replies
again saying, "Lord, help thou my unbelief". Sometimes all we're asked
to do is have faith in Christ and even with that one thing we're
asked, Christ helps us do it. I feel like that was what I needed. Yes
I'm inadequate, but The Lord is not. I think I need to go to him with
that same statement, Lord, help thou mine unbelief.

I love you all so much and I'm so grateful for your prayers and
support! SEND ME MISSIONARY MOMENTS! I want to hear about the
experiences your having at home! All of you!!

pics of the week

short girl problems in the snow
companions

   
Sister Fifita