Week 43-Transfer 6

Aloooooha!

8/5/13

Mom!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TODAY!!!!!!!!! Like always, your card is on it's way:) I just want you to know that you are the BEST mom in the whole wide world! I love you so much and am so grateful you are my mom and my friend:) I know you don't like your birthday and all but I hope you have a great one anyways:) I love you! And also HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Tonya too! You are lucky cause you will actually get your card on time:) I love you so much! 

I'm sad that I missed all the fun reunions. That would have been fun to see everyone. You should have had a cardboard cutout of me so I could be there:) Congrats on Alex's baby blessing! I can't wait to meet him! So I'm not sure I understand all that Alexa's testing positive means. Is it good that we know what it is? I continue to pray for her and all of you every day. I wish there was more I could do. Thank you for keeping me updated though. 

This week we spent a lot of time with Marie. She is so funny. She keeps wanting us to go places with her like the beach, the swap meet, and Waikiki  which are all red zones for us. So finally we got permission to hike diamond head with her one morning. We were able to review the baptism questions and talk about keeping the Sabbath day holy during the hike:) Sometimes she has us go walking with her in the mornings too. We have taught the Restoration and the Plan of Salvation while on these walks:). She is really sweet though and wants so much to do the right thing. She always has a ton of questions and worries a lot but she has such a simple, childlike faith that has been so fun to see grow. Her baptism ended up being on Friday evening. She was worried and nervous about it because of her arthritis in her knees, back, ankles, etc. and she didn't think she would physically be able to do it. She was able to get a blessing from Pres. Warner and her fears were calmed a bit. I think her baptism was one of my favorites! When she got in the water she was like, "oh it's cold!" She looked back at us and Sister Gleason pointed to me (she is very persnickety by the way) so Marie turned to me and mouthed "your fault!" Haha, I just told her I loved her:) She later told us that when she went in the water it was no longer cold. She couldn't feel it at all:) She was grinning from ear to ear the rest of the night and the spirit was so strong! Sister Gleason and I sang "How Great Thou Art" (Sister Gleason has an amazing voice) and her fellow-shippers gave some great talks. She got so emotional when everyone gave her Lei's afterward. I think that should be a tradition at every baptism! It's so fun! Marie is so awesome and her faith is growing so much! I am so blessed to be in this area if only just to teach her. 

Other than Marie, the many other investigators have kinda dropped off the face of the earth. Whether it be that we can't get a hold of them, they don't keep any commitments any more, they keep saying they are sick, or they are too busy to meet with us, we are running out of people to teach. We have decided that although we will keep trying, perhaps it is just not time for them right now and we need to find a way to find someone who is prepared and ready. Or maybe the Lord is just trying to teach us something:) We are learning from it though as well as growing together in Companionship unity:) We are trying our best to do everything we can and then trying to trust in the Lord for the rest. I think you all are the best example of that. I do know that Heavenly Father never puts us in situations to fail. He is always there to help us learn and grow and He always has the blessings waiting for us. 

This Sunday I was able to bear my testimony in Sacrament Meeting. I don't usually do that as a missionary cause I want to give time for everyone in the ward to, but I really felt like I needed to. I do believe that when you bear your testimony, it gets strengthened. I am so grateful for this gospel. I know it is true. I know with all my heart that Heavenly Father knows each one of us and loves us so much! I know that Heavenly Father wants us to be happy. There are times, especially now when I look at myself and see how far I am from where I should be, and it gets discouraging, but Heavenly Father doesn't look at us that way and neither should we. He really does cheer us on every step that we take closer to Him. He is patient with our shortcomings and knows that with practice, we can someday overcome them. I am so grateful for the atonement and for the restored gospel. I love this work so much. I love you all so much! I continue to pray for you always. Todos ustedes son la mejor! 

Les Quiero! 

Hermana Rowley