Week 54-Transfer 8

Alooooha!:)

10/22/13

So this week has been pretty good. And the package and letter I
received yesterday just topped it all off:) Thank you so much and
Happy Anniversary mom and dad!!! That's so funny that you spent it at
Jims:) That was nice of the waitress to give you a piece of cake
haha:)  I love you both so much! You are the best parents in the whole
wide world! So I didn't really remember Gail Merrell but she seemed to
know our family and asked about Alexa so I figured I was supposed to:)
I did recognize her name though and she was super nice. I can't
believe it's almost Halloween already! We are counting down the days
though when we will get to put all the Christmas trees up in the VC
again. I have always loved the holidays! Especially on a mission, I
think people tend to be more Christlike and nice the closer Christmas
gets.

This week we continue to work a lot with Nina. She really is in such a
tough situation and needs a lot of prayers. Little by little she is
opening up to us more. It was really cool yesterday because we stopped
by just to kind of follow up on things and she told us that not only
had she read the chapters that we had given her in the Book of Mormon
about trusting that the Lord will prepare a way to keep His
commandments, but she also "randomly" picked a chapter in the Book of
Alma (Alma 39) that was VERY bold with her situation and had read
about that. Heavenly Father is definitely working with her. She gets
frustrated at times thinking that she can't handle everything, but she
still endures and reads the scriptures, goes to church, and prays.
It's because of that that she is able to handle everything she is
dealing with and she recognizes that. That's just another testimony to
me that even when you feel lost or burdened down or asked to do
something that seems impossible. NEVER let go of that faith and hope.
That is all we have. Hope that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ,
"all things will work together for our good" So we do the things we
know we can do, we keep reading the scriptures, praying, going to
church and putting ourselves in situations conductive to the spirit
and have hope that He will help provide a way. Have hope that our
Savior is all loving, all patient, and He will never let us sink.

Another miracle this week was a new investigator! Alex is 18, still in
High school, grew up around members, and agreed to be baptized.
However, even though she is 18 and legally can decide for herself, and
even though her grandma (Whom she lives with) says the choice is hers,
she doesn't want to get baptized until she moves to Utah for school
(UVU) because her cousin who lives with them as well is REALLY against
everything about the church and Alex doesn't want to deal with it. She
is such a sweet girl though and she loves meeting with us and learning
and talking. We have been teaching her at a really good
fellow-shipping family who she is really comfortable with so that is
great. She has a really fun personality and is super talkative and
outgoing too. She makes the lessons super fun and we really love being
able to teach her. I just pray that as we teach about baptism and she
feels the spirit more, she will have a greater desire to be baptized
sooner rather than later. I know it's all in the Lords timing though.

This week we also had a "mission tour" with Elder Schwitzer of the 70.
Everyone from all the Islands, minus the big Island came to Oahu to
hear him speak. It was so fun to see everyone! Including Sister
Gleason and Hoskins:) We had a big giant Zone conference! It was so
fun! First we had our training and President talked again about
sanctifying ourselves and obedience. I love how President Warner has
been focusing so much on sanctifying ourselves. Just like Elder
Holland said, that we need to go home with at least one convert,
ourselves. And also, we can only lift our investigators to where we
are ourselves. Elder Schwitzer then gave a great training on
repentance and true conversion is repentance. That is what we are
teaching our investigators to do because they cannot be truly
converted until they learn how to repent continuously. That's what
baptism by fire is, receiving that conformation from the Holy Ghost
that our sins are forgiven. That's where conversion takes place. It's
truly an act of love to help others repent. That's when we go from
being a teacher, to being a true friend. I am so grateful to be a part
of this work!

Well, I love you all so much! Thank you for your prayers and examples,
It means so much to me! You are da best! I love you and pray for you
always,

Les Quiero,
Hermana Rowley

Week 53-Transfer 8

Alooooha!

Aloha Familia! 

Well another week has passed and it's the start of a new transfer, although for the first time in my mission it doesn't change much for me. The only difference is that Sister Moyes has gone home and is no longer our padmate. Sister Takatsu from Japan is sister Eaton's new companion and has joined us in our area:) She is so sweet and funny. She reminds me of a character off of a Japanese Cartoon. Not that I've seen any of those, she would make a good one though:).

This week we have been working a lot with Nina. She still is struggling to sincerely pray specifically about her situation. It's so hard to see the pain that comes when you don't live God's commandments. We are doing our best to help her to see how much hope there is when she does turn to God and trust Him to take her burdens and make everything ok in the end. Not to mention how many blessings He will then be free to bless her with. She is in a difficult situation but she is doing her best right now so that is really good. She has been coming to church and reading everything we have given her to read. We are praying so hard for her. Thank you for your prayers as well. 

This week we continue to go through the area book to get things updated. It's funny how different the work is here compared to Honolulu even. Whereas Honolulu has a giant pool of nonmembers where we can go tracting through and find those who are elect, here we only have a few blocks in our area and we know pretty much all the non-members and they have all met or seen missionaries before, so our job is to get to know everyone enough to get referrals and ward trust and work with the less-actives, and update the area book as much as possible. So that is what we are doing. I have a testimony that the Lord blesses us when we do all we can. It's such a good feeling to know that even though I may feel like I should be doing better, therefore I'm not doing my best, I am working on improvement and that is what the Lord expects. 

This week I have been studying a lot about gratitude. Not really on purpose, it just so happened that every talk I read had to do with that. I have learned that being grateful is such a great antidote to so many things. I started saying a lot of gratitude prayers and I have discovered that although I am still not perfect and I have a long way to go, I feel much more hopeful and I am able to notice even more the little tender mercies of the Lord in my life. It is so much better to be grateful! 

This morning I had the wonderful blessing of being able to go to the temple again. I love the temple so much! I think it means even more to me when I am here testifying to everyone about how amazing that "big white building" is outside every day. I was sitting in the celestial room when I was reminded of this tour I took a while back. I had been talking to this lady about the blessings that come from the temple. I told her about how it was a place of learning and a place where we make covenants with our Heavenly Father. Then I showed her the picture of the Celestial Room and told her how it was a place where we go to get out of the world, pray, and receive answers to our prayers. How it represents our home with Heavenly Father. How the temple is dedicated to the Lord and so His presence is so strong in there and we can feel wrapped in his love. She then asked, "Is it just packed in there? It seems to me that everyone would want to be there all the time." What a blessing it is to have a 141 temples! It's something I'm sure we do take for granted sometimes, just like much of the gospel, but that is definitely another thing to be grateful for. Many times, people here will ask, "Well, can I go in the temple?" Yes! We hope everyone will one day go! That's why we do missionary work! I am so grateful for the blessings of the temple! 

I'm so grateful for this work and for the many miracles that I get to see each day, whether it be in the Visitor Center, in our area, or even in myself. Thank you for all your love, support, prayers and examples. Thank you Chelsea for your gift!!! It was torture to wait over a week, knowing that your friends were coming any day. haha, I love the letter and and love the necklace! I had to go back and read that forget me not talk again:) I get comments on it every day:) Thank you so much. It feels weird to be one years old on my mission:) That's so sad to hear about Alie's dad. I do remember her from High School. I will definitely be praying for them. I love you all so much and pray for you always! 

Les Quiero Muchisimo!

Hermana Rowley (Shayla)

Week 52-Transfer 7

Aloooooha!

10/8/13

So this week was another week of transfers. For the first time in my mission I get to stay with my companion for more than one transfer! We get to stay together in the same area and same pad and everything:) I knew it would be like that since she isn't done with her training but there is always the possibility that things get switched around so i'm just glad they didn't:) We really are getting to know the area a lot better and we also just received a very promising referral from a ward member! That is a pretty exciting thing with the family wards here in Laie:) 

Our investigators are slowly progressing too which is a fantastic thing! Nina really opened up to us this last lesson! She has been taking lessons for 2 years so we could tell that she gave us all of the "right" answers and we knew the reason why she wasn't getting baptized but we weren't sure how to help her progress to that point. Then this last lesson we were able to ask some questions that really helped her open up a bit more and tell us how lost she feels and some of the doubts that she is having. She cried as she shared some of her feelings about everything we were teaching her and after we talked for a bit she told us that she felt a bit of hope now. We love her so much and can tell how much Heavenly Father loves her too! She has so much on her plate and yet she still allows the missionaries to come and keeps trying to do what we ask her. She is definitely progressing though. I love her so much! She needs lots of prayers right now. 

General Conference this week was amazing wasn't it! Yes mom, I did get up at 5 in the morning so we could be at the VC all dressed in sunday best by 5:45. It's all good though, Watching General Conference as a missionary really is something else! I can't fall asleep during it cause I just feel like everything that is said is so amazing! I was like on the edge of my seat the whole time! (Exclamation mark:) Something I noticed was how bold each of them were! I have heard so many stories now of something that one of them said being a direct, unmistakable answer to a prayer or concern. (a few of mine were definitely answered). It was also so interesting to hear how there were sooo many talks on member missionary work. The Lord hastening His work is definitely on the for-front of their minds! They also talked a lot about keeping the commandments and converting ourselves. It's so true that as the world falls farther and faster, the church and the individuals need to become stronger and stronger. I am so grateful for the lessons that I am learning here that are making me stronger. Goodness I still have so far to go but it's comforting to know that I now have a foundation strong enough to make it through some way or another. 

I know with all my heart that Heavenly Father loves me. I know that He will support me in my trials and afflictions. I can't remember if I heard it in this conference or in a talk I read, but someone mentioned how rebellion was different that weakness. That Heavenly Father always looks on weaknesses with mercy. That is a difficult concept to believe sometimes but I know that we truly do have an all merciful and all patient Heavenly Father, and how grateful I am for that! 

Well I'm sorry this is kind of short but I don't have too much time today. I love you all so much and am so grateful for the love and examples you are to me! I love you and pray for you always! 

Les Quiero mucho!

Hermana Rowley

Week 51-Transfer 7

Aloooha!

10/1/13

Hola Familia! 

Welp, another week gone by. I was just thinking about how being on a mission is almost like being in a dream. One that forever changes the rest of your life. Maybe I'm thinking about that because my year mark is coming up...so weird. I can't believe it is already time for conference again. I remember the last October General Conference all too well:) I am super excited for it though. And for the holidays coming up! My favorite time of the year! I can't wait for them to put all the Christmas trees up here in the Visitor Center. It's also a perfect time to do missionary work because everybody wants to here a message about Jesus Christ around Christmas time!

This week has been a pretty great one. So many miracles as always:) So in order to find more people to teach, Sister Cavalcante and I decided to try some new things. First off, we went through our area books for both of our wards and wrote down all the names of the people in there that we didn't know anything about. Then we decided to just visit everyone so we could update the area book more and ask them for referrals if nothing else. We haven't made it to everyone quite yet, but we have been able to get to know a lot more people and see some great miracles. It was funny because a few of the people we visited, they were so confused as to why the missionaries were visiting them and kept asking us who sent us to visit them. We just told them that we were just trying to get to know the people in the area because we were new and we were wondering if we could share a message with them and their families. It's funny how much your love grows for the people the more you serve them. I sometimes really wish we had more time in our area to teach and visit people, but I love being in the Visitor Center as well and am so grateful I get the chance to do both. 

Something that I love about Sister Cavalcante is that she is so goal oriented. She keeps telling me that she has never been this way before but she is so pumped about reaching our goals:) It is so good for me to have that. We have been able to see so many miracles from it! We have been finding so many new investigators at the VC because of it. One of those being from China:) Unfortunately, we are not allowed to contact anyone in China church related, so I am going to see if I can just send him the info for the man he can talk to there. He was so excited though! He had graduated from Harvard and loved learning about spiritual things. He loved the videos we had on family and the questions about "Why do bad things happen?" "Where do we go after this life?" and so on. We were able to give him 1 copy of everything we had but we are not allowed to do any more because the Government doesn't allow it. He was so happy though. As we were getting back on the tram getting ready to go he just smiled up at me and my companion and told her, "look at this gift I got! I'm gonna read this!" There are so many prepared people in China! I am just so happy that I get to meet them here in Hawaii and plant some seeds for them:) 

This Sunday was a pretty good one. We were able to visit so many people and both Beth and Nina made it to church! I wish we had had investigators in the 8th ward as well cause Sister Moyes and I and the ward mission leaders gave some pretty great talks on member missionary work :P. The fifth ward was really great too though because Brigham, Beth's awesome son, gave a talk there and the spirit was so strong! We were so happy when Nina stayed all 3 hours too even though we had to leave early to go to shift! 

I love this work so much! I love Hawaii so much! I can now say that I understand why Sister Patlingrao would always tell everyone "I am going to extend my mission 1 year" haha:) I liked my mission, but I thought she was crazy back then. But I understand now:) As hard as it is much of the time, it is a great feeling to serve:) I love you all so much and you are always in my thoughts and prayers. I love you and pray for you always! 

Les Quiero, 

Hermana Rowley (Shayla)

PS. Guess who I saw at PCC yesterday?! Mindy Gledhill! She was here to sing at BYUH. I didn't have my camera so no picture, but it was fun to see her and talk to her a bit:)

Here are some pictures from where we went today for PDay. Kuoloa Ranch is where they filmed a ton of movies like Jurassik Park, Lost, 50 first dates, Pearl Harbor, and so many more. We got to go on a bus tour to see all the sites. It was pretty fun:) The other one is of Sister Peterson and I holding our "babies":)