Week 20-Transfer 2

Aloha familia!
This week has been another one full of miracles in me and all around me. On Wed we had our interviews with Pres. Dalton. That man really is quite inspired. We talked for a bit and he gave me some really good advice and then I asked if I could get a blessing and he gave me a really good blessing and then we talked some more and said a prayer and then he was like "is it all right if I lay my hands on your head and give you another blessing?" I said ok so then he gave me another blessing, blessing me with some things that I really needed to hear. I am so grateful for the priesthood!

On Fri, we got a new investigator! We found her name on the unbaptized list in the YSA14th ward and so we went to visit her. We found her roommate home and she told us a bit about her. Chandra is a Sophmore at BUYH and on the Soccer team with her best friend Lindsey. She goes to church and activities with all her friends but feels that she has no need of getting baptized and that she is good where she is at. She had been taught by the sisters before and invited to be baptized and said no. We had been asked by Pres. Dalton to visit all the people on the unbaptized list etc. and invite them to be baptized. So on Fri, Sis. Patlingrao and I fasted to prepare for our first lesson with her. The spirit was so strong in that first lesson. We talked to her a bit and she basically told us her script of what I'm sure she tells everyone about not wanting to be baptized. We asked if we could say a prayer with her and then afterwards asked what she felt. She said she felt good and was glad we came but... she still didn't want to be baptized. We did set up a return appt. with her and the next time we taught her, we got her to really think about the importance of this gospel for her. She knows that if it's true than she needs to get baptized and go further but she just needs to get an answer if this is right for her life. We are just praying she will keep her commitments! She is such a sweet girl!

As far as Franchesca goes, she has a baptism date! March 9th. Only problem is that she knows that she needs to follow Jesus Christ and she says she knows that the BOM comes from God but she doesn't think she has to read it!!!! We had a long talk about this last night and she promised she would read what we left her to read. It's amazing to me though to see the changes she is making as she understands more and more about the gospel. We are just doing all we can to make sure her testimony is super strong so that when she goes back to Peru on the 11th she will still be strong. She did seem relieved when I told her that I would make sure her bishop and the missionaries in her area will know she is coming.

Here's something interesting, yesterday I got some very interesting news. Sis. Ogawa (a japanees speaking missionary) came to me and told me about a referral that she had for me. "In Spanish?" I said reluctantly? "Of course!" she replied. She then went on to tell me about this man who she was teaching online who was super interested and wanted to learn more about the gospel but did not have any way missionaries could teach him because 1: he lives in Japan and speaks very little Japanese, 2: he doesn't speak any English, and 3: his native language is Spanish. WHAT?! Only here in the Hawaii visitor center right now would I be asked to teach a man in Japan who speaks only Spanish! Sis Ogawa said that she could take the calls with me cause he speaks a little Japanese. Let me tell you, these are going to be the most interesting conversations ever, Japanese/Spanish. I love this gospel:)

I have really felt the Lord helping me out in this work. I feel that right now my Spanish is terrible but I'm not so worried about it anymore. Somehow the Lord is going to help me out. There are people he needs me to teach right now so I just have to do my best to practice the language and teach them with the spirit. Those Spanish people in Japan need me!:) I love you so much and pray for you always! That's funny that Grandfather sent you that talk by Elder Bednar. That's actually the talk I had just read in my personal study so that's why I shared that with you. I'm so glad you got to read the whole thing. It's so good! I love you all so much! You are seriously the best family in the whole wide world!

Les Amo!
Hermana Rowley (Shayla)

This one is Franchesca

Week 19-Transfer 2

Aloha/hola mi familia!

What a week this has been! Sounds like for you too. I could just imagine Alexa pulling that tube out. I remember all too well the last time. Is Tyson taller than me yet? Someone should measure him:) Yes I did get the package, thank you sooo much! And yes my favorite was definitely the letter from dad:) I'm not even sure where to start with this week. We have been so busy organizing the area book and meeting people and doing our best to find new investigators. I think coming back from being full proselyting to little Mormon town Laie is hard for my companion because it takes a lot of patience and faith in the Lord knowing that he will eventually lead you to someone to teach. In the meantime we have been working with the less actives in the wards and with Franchesca. Its so amazing to be able to feel the spirit working with you as you teach, whether it be members who need the spirit more in there lives, recent converts like Brandon who are now preparing for a mission:) or investigators like Franchesca who are waiting for an answer. The spirit and the gospel really do change lives for the better. David O McKay once said, "The purpose of the gospel is...to make bad men good and good men better, and to change human nature." That is what the "redeeming and enabling" power of the atonement is for. in Mosiah 3:19 is says to "put off the natural man" (bad men good) and "becometh a saint" (good men better) "through the Atonement of Christ the Lord." It is a wonderful experience to be able to share this with others and to watch that change take place as they learn more about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. 

So yesterday for our training in the morning, we learned some good news. The Lord is hastening His work in Visitor Centers! There is a new form of accountability that we are doing here where instead of having goals for how many people agree to meet with the missionaries, we have a goal of how many baptisms we want to see! This means that instead of getting people to meet with the missionaries and then sending them to them, we get to count them as our investigators and be the missionaries who teach them until the missionaries from their area get there and then after we still stay in contact and help encourage them until baptism! Oh how wonderful technology is. Not sure why it took this long to get it to this point but as of right now, the average percentage of converts who join the church because of visiting a visitor center is 1/3. They are now expecting that number to go way up. Not sure if any of this really makes sense to you but be assured it is so exciting for us!:) It helps me to know that these people I meet from all over the world and have spiritual experiences with here in the Visitor Center get to become my investigators and I will get to help them further to baptism!

I think something that I've been learning this week is how much the Atonement is really for everyone. How it's the Atonement that really gives us strength to do things that we can not do on our own. How there are countless instances in the scriptures when the prophets have prayed for strength to endure or change their situation rather than for their situation to be changed. Nephi prayed "O Lord give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am bound." Alma and Amulek prayed, "O Lord, give us strength according to our faith which is in Christ, even unto deliverance " and Alma prayed" O Lord, wilt thou grant unto me that I may have strength, that I may suffer with patience these afflictions which shall come upon me." In all these instances, their afflictions were not removed, but they were granted strength according to their prayers and faith. The Savior suffered for us so he can know what we need. So he can run to us and strengthen us as we go through this life. So he can know how to comfort us and lead us through our afflictions. So we can put off the natural man and become more like a saint. 

I love you so much. I think and pray for you always. Thank you so much for your love and support for me. It really does mean the world to me. Any time I have a rough day I just remember how much my family believes in me:) I try to count my blessings every day and pray for strength through the hard stuff. Love you all so much! Ill try and get some pictures to you soon and I'll finish up that recording and send it:)

Les Amo!

Hermana Rowley (Shayla)

Week 18-Transfer 2

Alooooooooha!

This week has lasted so long it seems! Mom, Sis Patlingrao coming back from full pros just means that she spent the last two transfers in Maui as a full proselyting missionary. Sorry for not explaining that more:) My friend here said that you just need to download a converter off the Internet in order to convert the file for the recorder thing. He said there are some pretty decent free ones you can get. Ill continue to record though and send it to you if you can't get it figured out. Sis Patlingrao, my new companion, is such a great missionary! She is a sweet little Filipino who has such a strong testimony and a drive for missionary work. I've already learned so much from her. I do miss Hermana though. I really have been thrown into the Spanish deep end! The day after Hermana left she sent me a text saying she was at the airport and she wasn't able to call her family and she wanted me to call them and tell them she was going to be home at 830. WHAT?! She knows as well as anyone that speaking another language over the phone is as hard as anything! Well, I said a prayer and went into the referral center and called up her Spanish speaking family in Guatemala. Lets just say that I sure hope they got the message cause I could barely hear them let alone understand them. I guess if they didn't then Hermana Rodriguez may still be at the airport waiting for them.

Also that day I received a shock when a family who didn't understand any English came in to the Visitor Center speaking Spanish. Of course everybody came to me and said "Hermana, Spanish!" I fumbled away with my first Spanish tour by myself and afterwards went into the bathroom to cry. I admit that I felt so alone and scared and overwhelmed that day. Since then my Spanish scripture reading and language study has definitely been put into overdrive. Sister Patlingrao has been so good at helping me as much as she can. Tagalog and Spanish both use the same numbers and colors and so she is happy she can at least help me with that:) Either that night or the next was my first lesson with Franchesca (the girl from Peru that Hermana and I had been teaching) with Sis Pat. I think it was actually the best lesson we have had with her yet since she was trying to speak in as much English as she could for Sis Pat's sake and she didn't switch from topic to topic like she usually does:) We helped her understand how important a testimony of the Book of Mormon was and how she needed to pray to receive an answer. 

The real Spanish miracles for me happened yesterday and today! Yesterday when I was at the VC, one of the tram tours came carrying a couple from Argentina. I found them as they were looking through a BOM and was able, with terrible grammar and broken Spanish, to explain what the Book of Mormon was. How it contains the words of God, another testament of Jesus Christ, just like the Bible and how it was about the people in South and Central America. It's always cool to tell people that it is about their people:) He was really interested so I asked if he would like missionaries to come to his home in Argentina and share more about the BOM and Jesus Christ and he said YES! I actually think I like giving tours in Spanish better than in English because I say as little as I can and then it really is the Holy Ghost that takes over. Today, just a few minutes ago, Sis. Adamson called me in cause there was a group from Spain in the VC. I went in and talked to them a bit and was almost able to understand everything! I asked if they would like to learn more and they said they were on a long trip and wouldn't be back til May. I said "Esta Bien!" They just laughed and said no thanks but they did leave their information so we can call them again and reinvite them. I have no idea why the Lord wants me to do this, but I am so grateful He trusts me enough to learn Spanish enough to teach these people. Good news about Brandon, He got his Aaronic priesthood and temple recommend to do baptisms on Sun!!!!!!!! If it was appropriate to clap in church, I would have been clapping when they announced it! It's so fun to see him progress like that.

Alexa, never stop smiling, even if you don't want to:) I love you so much and am so proud of you for your strength through all of this. Just know that no matter how bleak things seem right now, Heavenly Father is shaping you into the person he wants you to become. After all, the purpose of this life is to prepare to meet God so that we can be like He is when we see Him again. Because He suffered the Atonement, He knows exactly what you are going through and is the only one who can give you the strength through all this (Alma 7:11-12). I think that as you turn to the Savior, your burdens become lighter because he is able to help you understand the why. He is able to help you see a little more of what he wants you to become. I love you Alexa. I love you all. This Gospel, the Atonement, is real. It changes lives and people. I pray for you every day and send aaaaalllllll my love with this email:).

Les Amo!
Hermana Rowley (Shayla)

Goodbye Hermana

Week 17-Transfer 1

Brandon and his snowboard with wheels that he is super proud of

me and my pad mates right now. They are probably the best in the whole world

Angie and her fiance Lowell

Me and hermana, Sis Shin (from Korea) and Sis Fong (from Japan

There's one of Pauli:)

Aloha/hola!
Well, lots has been going on here seeing as it's transfer week this week, but first of all, Happy Birthday Tyson!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Once again i'm going to be late getting something to you but it will come:) I love you and hope you have the best birthday ever tomorrow! Mom, please don't edit for me. I want to know what's going on. Really, every time I read your letters it just reminds me I need to keep working harder. I love you guys and want to know EVERYTHING that is going on ok? I'm so thankful you have people like Taya to be there to help you out when I can't. Let me know if you get that recording figured out. I really don't know how to send it as a different format. I may just finish filling it up and then send it to you so you can empty it on something and figure it out some more:) So Happy Birthday to me as well...this week I broke down and bought myself a Ukulele! As you will probably see from my bank account. So I know I said I wanted one for my birthday but then I saw one at the PCC when Hermana went to go buy a tuner, and the lady there taught us a few tricks on how to play and then we were messing around for a bit and finally she said, "that is going to stick to you, do you want to buy it or not?" and hermana convinced me I should so I did and I love it:) I can only play it on Tram days and PDay but I already know how to play I am a Child of God and Over the Rainbow. It is so fun! So yeah, I have my birthday present:)

Well, now into my week. We spent the week focusing on Angie and getting her ready for her baptism. Brandon is just doing amazing! We have been teaching him the after baptism lessons about the priesthood and temple and everything and he is super excited to get more into home teaching, which he thinks is the best thing in the world. He can't believe that they would actually give him 2 callings but he is going to be the best Activities committee member and ward missionary ever! He gets to get the Aaronic Priesthood on Sunday as well as his temple recommend for baptisms. I can't tell you how fun it has been to teach him. He has such a strong testimony and a knowledge of the Atonement and Repentance and what everything is all about. He loves learning more and more and can't seem to get enough. One time I let him borrow my scripture pen that you gave me for Christmas and he was like "What is this pen of curious workmanship?" He says that is the funniest joke ever cause only the Mormons understand it:) He asks pretty much everyone he sees if they are a Mormon and shares his testimony with everyone. Seeing the changes in his life and his testimony as he grows in the gospel really has strengthened mine. He is going to feed Hermana and I homemade pizza tonight for hermana's "going away party":).

Saturday was a super special day since that was the day both Angie and Pauli got baptized. I got to conduct the music for Pauli's baptism. It was so amazing to see her that day. She was absolutely radiant and beautiful in white. She kept laughing and saying "I'm so nervous! I'm going to be a Mormon!" Even though we didn't get to finish teaching her the lessons, I felt so blessed to have had the opportunity to teach her a bit and to get to know her. She really is so amazing! Angie's baptism was right after hers and equally as beautiful. Once again, I gave a talk on Baptism. I think the cool thing about this one was the fact that she is getting married in 2 weeks and then will be working towards getting sealed in the temple a year from now. Angie is really quiet but she has such a strong testimony and it was such a beautiful experience. It really is the most wonderful thing when you understand how important this gospel is and you see others accept it and grow in their testimonies. I love this gospel and I love this work.

Well as I said, this week is transfer week and Monday was the day we found out what next transfer is going to be like. It was fun being in the Visitor Center for it cause instead of just getting a phonecall, the sister trainers make a giant production of it with a powerpoint presentation. Some of the sisters, like Sister Moyes, found out they were going to be sent off the Island and have a lot of packing to do today before the meeting tomorrow. Sis. Moyes gets to go to Maui! As for me, since mi companera is leaving me, I was completely anxious to find out who is going to be my "stepmom" or new trainer:) Low and behold, Sis Patlingrao is coming back from being full pros and gets to be my companion! Sis. Patlingrao is from the Philippines and as people have been telling me, is completely opposite from my crazy Latino companion right now. Also, apparently, she is like half the size of me in height and width. I get to meet her tomorrow. I sure am going to miss hermana though! Hermana tells me that Tagalog uses a lot of Spanish words and so therefore this is going to be an interesting transfer....I may just end up coming home speaking Spangalog! I do get to stay in my area though and at the beach pad! However, because we are adding two more sisters to the Visitor Center, we are adding two to the beach pad as well. This means there will be 6 where there was once 4. Thankfully I adore the sisters who will be there with us. It's going to be a fun transfer!

Well, we Hermana Rodriguez and I have a lot to do on our last PDay together, I'm trying not to think about it too much. I'm gonna miss her so much! Plus I'm slightly overwhelmed at the responsibility of Spanish that is on my shoulders. I just know my faith is going to have to grow in leaps and bounds. I say I know the Lord can do anything, but now I have to believe it. I am excited to see what he has in store for me.

I love you all so much! Thank you for your testimonies and strength. I pray for you daily that you can be given all the strength you need to make it through this and that you can be guided by the spirit to know what to do. I know that the spirit is guiding you. You may not feel that way all the time, but you are trying to do the best you can and that is what the Lord asks of us. That's what the Atonement is for. He is going to guide and help you as he tests and tries you, for that is how we become more like him. I love my Savior and I know he guides each of our lives. I love you so much! I wish I had time to tell you about all of the miracles I see everyday at the Visitor Center and on the Tram. This is definitely Gods work and I'm so thankful to be apart of it.

Les Amo!
Hermana Rowley (Shayla)