Week 11-Transfer 1

Aloha!!!! 

So this is going to be kinda short since I'm calling you tomorrow, but I just wanted to let you know that I made it here in Hawaii and am safe and sound! Merry Christmas Eve by the way! So far, Hawaii has been super amazing. I forgot how much I love it here! My pad is called the beach pad and is literally right on the beach! I'll have to send you the pictures I took after our run this morning. The first night I stayed at the mission president's home and it just so happens that there home is the same home that was built for the family from "The Other Side of Heaven!" When we got there, Sis Dalton was like, "you two get to sleep in the general authority room. There have been so many general authorities that have slept in there!" So that was pretty cool. I love Pres. and Sis. Dalton! 

So you know how I was super nervous because I was told that I was going to be the only Spanish speaker here? Well imagine how excited I was when I found out that my trainer was from Guatemala?!!!!! She only has one transfer left so I will be killing her off and then getting a new trainer, but my goal by the end of this transfer is to speak Spanish. It's really hard for Hermana Rodriguez because she is now so used to speaking English. Some words I ask her and she's like..."I don't know that one!" She is so fun though! I really got lucky:) We have been so blessed too! The first day that I got here she was like, "you are not going to use Spanish very much. The whole time i've been here i've only used Spanish once or twice." So then one of the first activities that we had was to go place a Book of Mormon somewhere around Honolulu and the AP gave us un libro de mormon and said, how much faith do you guys have? Hna Rodriguez started laughing and said, "lets see, but I have not seen one Spanish person in all of Honolulu!" Guess who the first person we talked to was?! A family visiting from Mexico! They actually took the English BOM cause the son said he understood english better but they were still Spanish speaking! So since then we seem to find someone who speaks Spanish like every day and what do you know, our investigator right now, Paulina (Pauli) is from Guatemala! 

So let me tell you about Pauli. She is probably the most amazing person that I have ever met! Growing up, she has had such a rough life. She used to party every night and do drugs and sell drugs and all sorts of stuff. So eventually she decided that she didn't want that kind of life, so on her own, before she even met us, she decided to stop having sex, stop doing drugs, stop smoking, drinking and partying. She said that she has been talking to God and that she feels that God has forgiven her of her past life. She says that "Something ugly was inside of her and now it's gone." So basically she is already living the word of wisdom and the law of chastity and She has repented. She came to Hawaii to surf and that used to be her entire life, but then she had an accident and so she decided that she wanted to make God her first priority. The more we talk with her the more amazed I get! She says things like "I just feel like I need to view my life from a more eternal perspective." and "I was Christmas shopping and then I just decided that I need clothes that cover up more because what you wear on the outside reflects what you are on the inside." This is all before we even taught her the first lesson! Does this girl amaze anyone else?! I think that all these changes in her life are scaring her though. We tried to commit her to a baptism date but she is just terrified. She feels like she changes her mind so often that she is afraid she will go back to her old ways. She says she prays about the church but she knows she is not praying with full intent because she is afraid of the answer I think. She is scared of becoming a Mormon. She will come around though. I don't think she fully understands how ready she is! She is so sweet and so amazing. Oh and did I mention that she is only 21 years old?! Pray for her cause this is not going to be easy for her. 

Well other than Pauli, we just have less actives to work with right now. Oh, I have some awesome news! On Saturday this couple came to the visitor center and they were from Mexico or something, anyways they were Spanish speaking, and Hermana Rodriguez started the tour and then had me explain the BOM and I ended up being able to give them a copy and then they self-referred themselves to have the missionaries come! So that was exciting for me:) And them of course:) I feel like I cannot even express the miracles I see each day. The Hawaii Honolulu Mission is the 6th highest baptizing mission in the world after the 5 Utah missions:) The people here are so amazing and the atmosphere is so beautiful. I really feel so blessed each day! 

Well I love you so much and can't wait to talk to you tomorrow! Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad! Melekelikimaka! Les Amo!!!!!

Hermana Rowley (Shayla)

My companion at Temple Square

Elder Swapp!

At the Airport

Look at my room's first decorations!

Hermana Rodriguez

This one is of me and Satan! haha, Micheal Ballam came and did a musical fireside at the VC (He played Satan in the Temple Video:)

Week 9-MTC

Hola y Aloha Familia!
I am not sure where to even begin this letter! I think that this week has probably been the most humbling week of my life. So after my last letter, which seems forever ago, I had to say goodbye to my district. Fri. we all got to go to infield orientation which was fun. We just had a bunch of special classes about missionary work all day. Sunday was especially cool cause for the fireside we had BYU men's chorus come visit us and sing to us! Mon. and Tues. were kinda a blur since we spent those days saying our goodbyes. Its so hard to say goodbye to someone you have spent 9 weeks with that closely. I do get to see hermana Dunn every once in a while since she got reassigned to the referral center since her visa to Argentina was delayed. I'm not sure if I love that or not. It's weird to see her and not be with her 24/7. I started visitor training this wed. And that is where the real humbling happened. We all went to Temple square wed morn. and got to go through the tour as guests and then we had class the rest of the day. It's been real different for me. I never thought I would say this but I actually miss speaking Spanish all the time in class and everything, but I do. I also found out from one of the teachers here who just got back from my mission speaking Spanish and she informed me that I will be the only Spanish speaking missionary in the entire mission...I cant tell you how terrifying and yet humbling that is. On top of that, I have been learning the responsibilities of a visitor center missionary and it just humbles me even more. I do have some good news though, I have an investigator! A real life investigator! Her name is Iva Harris and she lives in Missouri and got on chat to ask for the number for our church building so she could meet with the missionaries! I talked to her for a while and found out that she is going through a really rough time and she kinda feels pulled in this direction. She didn't have a Book of Mormon so I mailed her one and then committed her to start reading it online. We talked about some other stuff and then I asked if I could call her another time. I called her that night and found out she had read the first chapter of the Book of Mormon and so we talked for a while about some of her concerns. I am going to call her again on Saturday! Well that's the really short version but it was so amazing to be able to share my testimony with her and help her to see that this gospel is for her and can help her in her struggles. This gospel is so wonderful! It really is for everyone!

So Just so you know, I will not be able to get anymore dearelders here cause we don't get them on Saturdays or Sundays and I will be leaving before they come on Mon. so if you want to write me send it to my email or my mission home in Hawaii! So I'm not sure about the time difference, but my flight leaves Salt Lake at 7:00AM and arrives in Los Angeles at 7:55AM I have a bit of a layover there so if I can I will use my calling card to call both of those times I'm at the airport. I am so excited to talk to you! And I think it's funny that you reminded me of your cell number. I don't think I will ever forget that:) Mom, I think your letter had about the same effect as that text  you sent out. I was kinda freaking out about Alexa! Thanks for the details:) Talk about traumatizing! I am sooo jealous of you all going to the Christmas concert! Alfie Boe??!!!! That is a CD you need to buy for me ok? I am not going to be there the same night as you. I saw Brady finally! He said that he will probably come by with Corrianne to drop off my stuff. Well I got to go. I love you so much and pray for you always!

Les Amo!!!!!!!
hermana Rowley (Shayla)

Shayla's Mission Home Address:

Honalulu Mission Home

1500 S. Beretania ST.  STE. 416

Honalulu, HI  96826

Email address:  shayla.rowley@myldsmail.net

Siempre listos!

Week 8-MTC

Buenos Dias!
This week I have been on fast track! I never believed that this week would ever come! Next week on Tues and Wed, my entire district is leaving me to go out and serve the Lord while I spend a hard core week learning about how to be a visitor center missionary. The sisters I have talked to who have done the visitor center training said it was the most intense week of the MTC. hermana Mitchelle said that she grew more her week doing that then she did in her entire MTC stay! I have met a friend that I will be doing it with though. Her name is sister Mckinney. She is actually going to the Hawaii Visitor Center with me on the 17th! She is an English speaker though so she has been here for about 3 weeks now. That just seems so weird to me! I honestly felt like I would be here forever and it’s so weird to me that people leave so soon! I'm excited though! I love how close to Christmas it is getting! there are a ton of lights up here at the MTC and I just sing Christmas carols all day long with hermana Dunn! Did I ever tell you that she has a beautiful voice? We are both altos but our voices go great together when we harmonize with each other:). Our whole district is planning on singing the EFY medley for our last Sunday here together. For some reason that is the Elder's favorite church song ever:). I loved the fireside this Sunday because we got to watch the 1st Presidency Christmas Devotional! I thought of you all as I was watching it. I can't tell you how happy it made me!

This week I feel like I have just grown so much! Its amazing to me how much I can learn here. Hno. Frey mentioned about how amazing it was that we are learning the things from him that he learned on and after his mission, and now we get to add on to that and just teach others these things and imagine how prepared the future missionaries will be with the knowledge that we share with them. It's so amazing how much the church is growing! This week I of course learned more about the atonement. Its amazing how much there is to learn about it! If you can, I highly recommend you look up a youtube video called Missionary work and the Atonement. I think that's the right one. If I’m right, that’s the one that has excerpts from two amazing talks by Elder Holland and Elder Nielson. It's pretty powerful. Salvation really is not a cheap experience. That is why missions are so hard. The Lord is going to let me suffer so I can learn what I need to learn. How grateful I am for that!

This church is so true! My testimony grows each day. Mi Espanol no es bueno, pero, yo se que puedo hacer todas las cosas por medio jesucristo. I know that the Atonement is real and that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us so much and only want us to understand that and follow them! In Moses 6:63 it says that all things testify of Christ. If we are always thinking of Christ, imagine how that would change the world! Le amo este Evangelio and I love how much I am learning! I pray for you every day. I have added Grandma and Grandad to the list. We just always need someone to pray for I guess. I'm so glad Alexa is starting to feel better! I hope things work out in Arizona! So next week I think I am not going to be able to write until Friday because of my weird schedule. I am excited though because, I won't tell you which day, but I get to see the luz navidad at Temple Square next week! I'll blow you a kiss as I pass our exit. I love you all so much!

Les Amo,
Hermana Rowley (Shayla)

Week 7-MTC Thanksgiving!

Hola y Aloha!
So first of all, I have a favor to ask. There is a really awesome and spiritually strong yet terribly quiet elder in our zone named elder brown. He is a native American who just doesn't really talk much but he has kinda started talking to hermana Dunn and I and I found out that he doesn't really get any mail. I know Chelsea told me to let her know if anyone needed mail so there you go. And if anyone else wants to write him I know he would appreciate it! He is going to the Florida Fort lauderdale (sp?) mission. His address is
Elder Warren Gary Brown
MTC Mailbox #358
F-FTL 0115
2005N 900E
Provo, Ut 84604-1793

Just in case you were wondering, Speaking Espanol toda dia cada dia did not exactly go as planned. We did do a ton better though! We are making more goals each day so Ill let you know how that goes...:) This week seems to be so filled! Thanksgiving was AMAZING! We got up early that day so we could get breakfast and get into line as soon as possible to see Elder Holland. We ended up getting about 6 or 7 rows back but it was perfect. If you think he is powerful on the screen, try being that close to him in a room full of missionaries as he bears his testimony! So cool! He also told us that he adopted us into his family for the day:). He brought his family with him and had a few of his grandchildren bear their testimonies and sing. He said they were going to be part of the program whether they wanted to or not because they don't practice free agency in their family:) His oldest granddaughter is 20 and is going to be leaving on a mission soon. She said that she started thinking about a mission a little before the announcement was made and called up her grandpa (Elder Holland) to see what he thought about it. He told her to start filling out her papers then saying that it just takes longer for some people to get them filled out:) She was pretty excited when the age change was announced:). Anyways, Elder Hollands talk was so powerful! He talked about and bore his testimony about different things that he was grateful for. He talked about how he is so grateful to be born in the last dispensation. How he doesn't believe anyone truly understands what a great blessing this is. He said that all through the scriptures, it talks about how God showed our day to prophets. Prophet in those days had to know that they were going to lose (like Nephi for instance), but God lifted their spirits by showing them our day and saying "buck up! Cause there is a group who is going to win. They will be in the MTC on Thanksgiving Day in 2012!" He talked about how he doesn't like it when missionaries say they will finish their mission and then go back to "real life." He said in his intense powerful voice, "This is Real Life! This is as real as life will ever be! Nothing is more important than this work!" He talked about how we are here to save the human soul and how that is what Christ spent his whole life doing and nothing else. He also bore his testimony of Joseph Smith and it was so powerful! He then read D&C 133:44-53 with us and talked about how we need to serve for Jesus Christ more than anything just so He won't have to be in the "wine vat" alone. It was such a powerful talk!

After that we did went and ate "Thanksgiving Dinner" in the cafeteria. Let just say that I was super jealous of all the food you described in your letter mom. We actually had real turkey which was good but that was pretty much the best part. I honestly didn't care really though. I feel like I was spiritually fed:). After dinner we did an awesome humanitarian project where we made hundreds of thousands of health and education kits for kids in Africa! After that we got to watch a musical fireside type thing that was more laid back than most firesides and I got to hear Hermana Jones fiddle! She was so good and definitely had the crowd! That night they gave us all popcorn and we watched 17 Miracles! It was a pretty amazing day. They kept us busy enough that we didn't have too much time to get homesick. I did miss ya'll though!

The rest of the week was pretty standard. We did lose hermanas Laughlin and Kofe on Friday and then yesturday morning Hermanas Jones y Loveless took off. I'm gonna miss them so much but I am so excited for them and am so grateful we had to switch rooms so that I could meet them and get to know them. They really taught me so much! Something really silly that happened the other day that I thought you would enjoy: I folded my quilt in the middle of the night...while I was sleeping! I kinda remember doing it but I thought it was a dream then later on that night I woke up freezing cold cause my blanket was folded beside me! Hermana Loveless sleeps right below me and she is a super light sleeper and the bed is super squeaky. She said that she thought I was trying to move my entire bed around I was so loud!

This week I have been learning so much more about Charity and Listening with my heart and the spirit. The scriptures tell us that we need to pray for charity "with all the energy of your heart" so I decided that I needed to try that cause I had never really done that before. I cannot tell you how amazing it is that the Lord hears and answers prayers like that! I have been so much happier and teaching has been so much easier! This gospel is so amazing! It really is such an easier way to live. That doesn't mean that there are no trials, in fact, you may have more trials than you would without it, but it is easier because we have hope. We have faith that Jesus Christ will support us in our trials and never desert us. We are able to repent of our sins and feel that guilt lifted off our shoulders. We know that death is not the end and that as we come unto Christ and as he shows us our weaknesses and each day we strive to improve and be more like Him, we can live with Him and our families after this life. Psalms 16 is a great chapter that talks about how we have hope through Christ. The Savior also says to come unto him and he will lift our burdens and give us rest. How amazing is that?!

Sooooo happy to hear that Alexa is doing better! I am still praying hard but its good to hear that things are going in the right direction. I was also excited to hear about Tyson. I don't think I said anything in my last letter so I just want him to know that I am soooooo proud of him! You had better get a video and make sure your camera doesn't run out of tape or battery in the middle:). What I meant by cliff hanger letters was that I never really heard the results of the surgery till the last letter. Chelsea sent all your facebook updates and everything. I do get your letters on the same paper actually. Dearelder is printed on really long paper that has successive letters one right after the other...if that makes sense. I don't have my exact address yet so I guess your best bet is to call the mission home. I'll let you know when I do. A coordinating sister is just kinda like a relief society president except we don't really have a ward relief society and there are only 4 sisters in our branch. So I just go to a bunch of meetings with the disctrict leaders and zone leaders (which are the 3 elders in my district) and tell them all how great the sisters are doing. Hermano Frey said that you accepted his facebook request. He can be on facebook cause he is not a missionary. He got home from his mission in July I think and he is now going to school at BYU and teaching at the MTC. I think that would be a really awesome job! Apparently they get paid well too. Hermana Crane says she has no idea if she's related to Kyle or not. She says she only knows the Crane side of her family back to her great grandmother. Whether you use the camping picture or not for the Christmas cards you should send me a copy of it along with the family picture that has been up on the wall, and also with any other pics of thanksgiving etc:). As for a Christmas package, I really have no idea. The only thing that I really wish I had right now would be a purse/book bag and then some neosporn and band aids, and maybe some good church music and a small children's songbook. IDK though, send me a bunch of love:).

I love you all sooo much and I hope you are all doing amazing!
Les Amo!
Hermana Shayla Rowley

Elder Brown

Waiting for Elder Holland

hermanas Laughlin and Kofe

Humanitarian project