Blog Letter 6/22/2015

Dearest Family,

It has been another great week in the Tacloban 2nd ward. Our Zone Training meeting was a success and on Sunday there was a Nation wide Stake Conference broadcast from Salt Lake and Manila that was inspiring. I loved the apostolic promise from Elder Andersen that if we will take our sacrament meeting attendance more seriously, our faith will grow. We even used that in a lesson we taught yesterday afternoon. It was also great to hear from Elder Nielson and a bit nostalgic as well flashing back to Yolanda. Can you believe I was still here for Yolanda?? If I'm not mistaken, I think I was the one that took a picture of Tacloban right after the storm that they displayed in the broadcast because they copied all my pictures from the storm when we arrived in Manila after the Storm. That is really unimportant but hey kind of cool right? But what great advice to anyone no matter what their station in life, "I will be the one." His whole message was centered around that phrase, "I will be the one." That is something Flipino's will often say in English when they want to do something kind for you. They will say "I will be the one" to do this, that or the other. The phrase is truly an indicator of their love and desire to serve and be kind to one another. I hope that we all might say "I will be the one" to follow our Savior Jesus Christ through our kindness to others. 

We did exchanges with the Palo Elders last Tuesday and Wednesday. I went back to my first area with Elder B. in Palo and we had a great experience. It was weird working again in my first area. There are some people I have never met and others who still remember me. I am happy I had the opportunity to go back and work in my first area though especially now as I am in my last transfer. Exchanges are one of my favorite things to do as a leader. I have really come to love just talking and getting to know other missionaries and other people for that matter. I learned a lot from Elder B. and I hope he was able to learn a bit from me as well that he might be able to use as he continues his mission.

Our Investigators are doing well. We have some great things going as well as a few investigator families that have potential to progress. We taught a man this past week and some members of his family and they were all very receptive and asked excellent questions. They agreed to pray about our message and be baptized if they come to know that it is true. So we will keep you updated on how they progress. We had another new investigator as well tell us after our second visit with him where we explained in great depth about the Book of Mormon that he wanted his family to hear this as well and so we are hoping to be able to schedule an appointment with his family sometime this week.

I am really enjoying the work right now. We are striving to be diligent and really sprint to the finish. I love my area and I love my companion. Thank you for all your love and support! You are continually in my prayers and I look forward to seeing you in a few weeks time.

Love Elder Lowe 

Blog Letter 6/15/2015

Dearest Family,

It has been another great week Tacloban 2nd  ward. Our Zone Training meeting was a success and and on Sunday there was a Nation wide Stake Conference broadcast from Salt Lake and Manila that was inspiring. I loved the apostolic Promise from Elder Anderson that if we will take our sacrament meeting attendance more seriously, our faith will grow. We even used that in a lesson we taught yesterday afternoon. It was also great to hear from Elder Nielson and a bit nostalgic as well flashing back to yolanda. Can you believe I was still here for Yolanda?? If I'm not mistaken, I think I was the one that took a picture of Tacloban right after the storm that they displayed in the broadcast because they copied all my pictures from the storm when we arrived in Manila After the Storm. That is really unimportant but hey kind cool right? But what great advice to anyone no matter what their station in life, "I will be the one." His whole message was centered around that phrase, "I will be the one." That is something Flipino's will often say in english when they want to do something kind for you. They will say "I will be the one" to do this, that or the other. The phrase is truly an indicator of their love and desire to serve and be kind to one another. I hope that we all might say "I will be the one" to follow our Savior Jesus Christ through our kindness to others. 

We did exchanges with the Palo Elders last Tuesday and Wednesday. I went back to my first area with Elder B. in Palo and we had a great experience. It was weird working again in my first area. There are some people I have never met and others who still remember me. I am happy I had the opportunity to go back and work in my first area though especially now as I am in my last transfer. Exchanges are one of my favorite things to do as a leader. I have really come to love just talking and getting to know other missionaries and other people for that matter. I learned a lot from Elder B. and I hope he was able to learn a bit from me as well that he might be able to use as he continues his mission.

Our Investigators are doing well. We have some great things going as well as a few investigator Families that have potential to progress. We taught a man this past week named H. and some members of his family and they were all very receptive and asked excellent questions. They agreed to pray about our message and be baptized if they come to know that it is true. So we will keep you updated on how they progress. We had another new investigator as well tell us after our second visit with him where we explained in great depth about the Book of Mormon that he wanted his family to hear this as well and so we are hoping to be able to schedule an appointment with his family sometime this week.

I am really enjoying the work right now. We are striving to be diligent and really sprint to the finish. I love my area and I love my companion. Thank you for all your love and support! You are continually in my prayers and I look forward to seeing you in a few weeks time.

Love Elder Lowe 

Maupay nga Kuolop. Blog Letter 6/8/2015

Maupay nga Kulop dearest Family!!!

It has been a good week. Yes I lost my wallet and that was stressful but I have strong testimony of prayer and that situation strengthened my testimony thereof even more. I love the Bible Dictionary Definition of Prayer. Part of it explains that through prayer we align our will with the will of God and as we pray in Christs name we pray with the mind of Christ and therefore ask for things that are possible for God to grant. Nephi when he was bound by his brethren did not pray that his circumstances would changed but rather he prayed for the strength to overcome his circumstances. Of course I hoped and prayed that I might find my wallet but I also prayed for the comfort and support to be able to get by without. That prayer was answered and continues to be answered to this day. I have received comfort and have been relieved from stress throughout the week and then today we received a call from the assistants informing us that my wallet was found and is currently in Carigara(a town about an hour out of Tacloban). They gave us his name and contact info and hopefully we will be able to get a hold of my wallet again this week.

And then other than that it was a pretty good week. We had Mission Leadership Council this past week with all the Zone Leaders and STL's as well as a special training for all the ZL's and DL's. Both trainings were really good. I may be at the end of my mission but I still have so much to learn and I learned so much from both trainings. The focus in the mission this month is Loyalty. Loyalty to the Lord. I am coming to realize that only through our loyalty to Him can we truly be loyal to others as well. A true friend indeed is someone who brings us closer to our Savior. I have learned so much from my leaders and fellow missionaries this past week that has left me with a lot to think about and ponder upon. The training in  MLC training was based off of a talk by Gordon B. Hinckley titled "And Peter Went Out And Wept Bitterly." It is a good talk and you should all check it out.

Anyways I love you all. Thank you and thank you again for your love and support. I am indeed blessed to have such a wonderful family that takes time to email me each week. I am always sad when I ask my companions how their families are and they say they don't know because they didn't email that week. Of course that partly is because of different backgrounds and situations that can't be completely explained now. I know their families love them too. I just feel especially blessed to have such a wonderful family that has been so good to me. I know families are central to Gods plan for his Children. Everything in the Church is indeed aimed towards the temple where a family can be sealed for eternity through sacred priesthood ordinances. 

Let us always remember where our loyalties lie. Let us always be honest with our fellow men and with ourselves. Keep the faith and may peace be the journey!

Love Elder Lowe

John 15:4-5

Because their souls are precious

My dearest Family! 

It's been a great week. The work continues to move forward. Part of being the oldest batch in the mission is that whether with other missionaries or members, you become the brunt of the joke when ever the conversation turns to Eternal Marriage. I honestly never thought I'd reach this point in my mission yet here I am. We're loving it though. Me and Elder G. are having fun and doing work in our area. We've had a lot of fun just talking to people, getting to know members and have gotten some new investigators that we are excited to work with. One night this past week our last appointment fell through and so we walked up to the first big house we saw and knocked. A young man about 25 years old answered and let us in before we really had a chance to introduce ourselves and we were able to visit with him a bit and then teach him and his friend who showed up right after the opening prayer. They were both receptive and as they have time we will be able to continue teaching them. They were the type of people that asked all the perfect questions that can be answered by the Message of the Restoration.

There are a ton of things that I am excited to tell all of you! But I just want to reiterate how much I love being a missionary! It has taken two years but I think I'm starting to figure out how to be a missionary. One of the questions that one of the young men that we taught last week was why we are here. What a great question that I will never get tired of answering. They recognized that we are from far away places speaking a language called Waray-waray. I with my family have received countless blessings from the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I want to share those blessings with them. I am here because this is the True Church of Jesus Christ and each soul is precious. As members of the Church we have so much to offer to our fellow men. 

I love you all! I know the Church is true and I know that God lives. He is the reason that this work is possible. Keep the faith and may peace be the journey!

Mosiah 28:3

Love Elder Lowe

Dearest Pamilya... 

It has been an interesting week back in Tacloban 2nd ward. It has been fun to see some old faces and to see their reactions that I have returned. I'm honestly not sure what the missionaries have been up to the last two transfers but that's another story for another time.

I would like to take a moment to testify of the Gift of Tongues. This week has been a miracle. We have taught lessons in Waray, Tagolog, and Cebuano and sometimes in all three. I never before been able to switch between the three very well but now it almost seems just natural. We have one Investigator who my companion and I started teaching when we were still here who really only speaks Cebuano. He is a referral from an active member and is pretty old. Anyways, it has been cool to see him open up a bit more the past week as he has understood more clearly the gospel in his native tongue, Cebuano. I hope to see him progress and choose to be baptized in the coming weeks.

I don't have a lot to say but the work is going well. By going well, I mean that our work is cut out for us for the transfer. Elder G. is good and we have been able to teach some great lessons this past week. With each lesson I teach, my testimony of the Gospel increases. We had a recent convert ask us last night why FHE was so important and I was grateful to be able to testify of the influence that consistent FHE has had in my life. 

I love you all! 

Keep the faith and may peace be the journey.

One Last Transfer, One Previous Area. Blog Letter 5/18/2015

Dearest Family!

Thanks again for the chat last week! You all look and sound great as well! Our week went rather well and it finished off with the Baptism of N.M. She is only 14 but she's pretty bright and her mom is a returning member. The baptism was excellent and we had 2 of our investigators attend one of which is her Brother-in-law whom we have just started teaching and he wants to be baptized. As soon as he and N's sister get married he can. There are many others in her family as well that will hopefully be taught in the future.

The work here is starting to move a long and I have really grown close to the members and so you know what that means! Transfers! Transfer day is today along with p-day and that's why I didn't email you yesterday. I will definitely miss Kilim Branch and I was very surprised to learn of my new assignment/area but I'm excited as well... I think. My thoughts are all still pretty scrambled because I'm in transfer mode. My new companion is a Filipino and his name is Elder G. We have been assigned as the Tacloban Zone Leaders. So I'm going back to my old area in down town Tacloban and training Elder G. as a zone leader for my last cycle. When I transferred from this area in January I was hoping that I could have just one more cycle in down town and so here is that one more transfer that I wanted. I would have been content to end my mission in Kilim but I know God needs me here again in Tacloban. 

Two people I will definitely miss are the H's. They have been so kind to the missionaries and it was fun being assigned in the same District as them. They came to Tacloban yesterday(Monday) and brought our luggage and we met up with them this morning when we arrived in Tacloban. Because I will be transferring, Sister H pulled me aside and gave me unsolicited permission to take their daughter on a date when I get home. She specifically mentioned I could take her mt. biking or rock climbing... . ... I didn't really know what to say so I just laughed and said okay. So um.. I'm just gonna forget about that for 6 weeks and then perhaps I'll give it some consideration when I get home. But hey, as missionaries, we're always grateful to receive referrals right?

I'm excited for this next cycle though. I'm excited to give everything that I got and finish hard in down town Tacloban! I know this Church is the True Church of Jesus Christ and this is His work!

Keep the Faith and may peace be the journey! 

Amping!

Love Elder Lowe

P.s. Back to Waray-waray!

Understanding Things I've learned Blog letter 5/5/2015

So I don't know if you heard anything about the fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather. It was pretty big here because everyone loves Pacquiao but then he lost and so every one was pretty quiet yesterday. Apparently it was a good fight though. I don't know because I didn't watch it. We half expected it to effect our work and our attendance in Church but the truth of it is the faithful still came to Church. We even had some Less Actives come to church as well which we were excited about. The other good thing that happened yesterday is we had a good dinner appointment with a family that told us they would feed us dinner if Mayweather won the fight. That was mostly just a joke though between Sister S. and Elder A. because they were gonna feed us anyways. 

Elder A. is doing great. Our companionship is doing really well. Each day is an adventure but I have laughed a lot and have learned a lot as well. I have learned a lot of things throughout my mission but this transfer I have really started to understand some of those things that I've learned. And despite the trials and the challenges I can honestly say that I love my companion. I would do anything for him that is right. 

The work is going well. Our investigators are good. Most of them are female which is okay but we are trying to find Potential priesthood holders as well. But Men are just in general a little harder to get to. I haven't lost hope on Brother B. though. We've gotten close with his wife and family and I know that even if it doesn't happen in my time the time will come when Their father will open his heart. But until them we continue to wait and watch and pray for him. 

But I love you all and I love this Gospel. I'm continually grateful for the atonement and the wonderful truth that we can repent and change. It's never to late as long as we're willing. I know the Church is true and I know families are forever.

Keep the faith and may peace be the Journey!

Love Elder Lowe

One mistake at a time blog letter 4/27/2015

Maayong Udto sa inyong tanan. 

I hope you have all had a fantastic week and from the sounds of your emails you all did. My week was... good. Things with Elder A. are going a lot better. We had a couple rough patches this past week but all is well and things are working out. I am grateful for your prayers. They have been answered by forces both seen and unseen. I'm learning one mistake at a time... But I really do love Elder A. and I am learning a lot from him. He's made a lot of mistakes and so have I. I have been continually reminded this week of our Savior Jesus Christ and have been pondering upon the passage after his resurrection where the Angel speaks to Mary and says, "Why seek ye the living among the dead. He is not here, but is risen." This passage this past week has given me much comfort. Let us not seek for Christ in dead works and vain ambitions for he is not there. He is Risen and we too through his Atonement will live again. And we, through his Atonement, can change if we will turn to him so he can help us overcome our weaknesses and shortcomings. Let us be genuine and full of love in all our relationships and responsibilities. God is no respecter of persons and as mentioned in General conference, we compared to Him aren't all that different. 

The work is going alright as well. It's a little bit slow at the moment but going nonetheless. We have met some new potential investigators this past week that we are really excited to work with. We are working currently with a returning member and her 12 year-old daughter. They are doing well. Sister M. is returning to activity and her daughter is on track to be baptized on May 16. 

Again thanks for your prayers. You as well are in my prayers always. I love this work. I know this Church is true. I know That Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer and that He lives. 

Keep the Faith and may peace be the Journey!

Love Elder Lowe

Basta. Blog Letter 4/20/15

Dearest Family,

Thank you for your emails. They were just what I needed. That being said, it has been a very interesting week... I'm not even completely sure what to tell you about my week. But after all is said, I love my companion and I'm doing my best to help him progress and become an effective missionary. It's hard however to help some one change who doesn't want to change. My biggest challenge, and I ask for your prayers in this respect, is that I can think and speak of him positively. There is no way I can get through this cycle if I am not filled with Charity and with Patience. The thing is, He knows the Gospel and has a Testimony. Elder A. is good but the long and short of it is that he wants to do what he wants to do and so when he can't do what he wants to do, he gets upset. So as long as he doesn't want to do anything crazy or disobedient we get along great. But again, I'm no angel and I'm just doing the best I can to develop the attributes I need to help him and also be effective in our work. To paraphrase general conference, I'm not a saint unless a saint is just a sinner that keeps on trying. It's gonna be a fun transfer. President has placed a very large trust in me in this assignment. This is all kind of difficult to describe over email but I will have many stories to tell in the coming months. 

As far as the work in Kilim goes, things are going pretty good. It's a little slow but moving none the less. The members are nice and willing to work with us. The people in this area just aren't super receptive. A lot of our investigators right now are from part member families. Brother B. who I told you about last time is a bit hard as well but I haven't lost hope and I know his time will come. We will continue doing all we can to teach him and help him develop a testimony. He doesn't have any problems with the doctrine but just isn't quite ready to commit. 

I love this work and this mission and not despite the hardships and challenges but because of them. I mean, who wants to have a boring mission right? Don't worry about me to much because I will be just fine. I love you all and pray for you always. Thank you for your love and support. Keep the faith and peace be the journey.

Love Elder Lowe 

It's going to be a fun transfer Blog letter 4/14/2015

Dearest Family, 

It has been an exciting week to say the least. We've been able to get to know our area here in Kilim pretty quickly though and we have our work cut out for us. Kilim isn't an actual municipality but is part of Baybay. There is a ward in Baybay and then in this part it's just a Branch. We have some good people that we are working with here and I will report about them all more as we get to know them better this coming week. One however, Brother B. is the husband of a member but he hasn't joined the Church yet. He is really nice but has usually refused to be taught by the missionaries. The first time that we visited them however we were able to teach him and he was receptive. He's really smart and we are excited to keep working with him. It really was a tender mercy that we were able to teach him and even his wife seemed a little surprised as well as grateful that he listened. 

Elder A. is good. He has a mind of his own to say the least and each day is an adventure. This past week he took down a Coconut with a rock in just two hits. It was impressive. I'm not sure the members really know what to think of him but I think they like him just because he's fun to watch. He doesn't really know Cebuano and usually just uses broken samoan english. I'm learning some somoan though and that's cool. He has a really good heart and even though he's not always understood some of the things he says are very profound. It's going to be a fun transfer. 

General Conference was fantastic! I hope none of you felt left out because it felt like they were all just talking to me. I didn't really take notes for each individual speaker but I wrote down a list of themes by which to study as I review over the talks in the coming weeks. If I could choose just one theme from this conference it would be Eternal Perspective but with in that them there were many subthemes including, the family, marriage, fatherhood, selfless and genuine priesthood service, and making God our priority. It gave me many things to think about and goals to work on. The mission has changed the way I see and think about many things. I'm not completely sure what I want to do when I grow up but I do know one thing and that is that I want to do everything I can to be a righteous Husband, Father, and Priesthood leader. It truly isn't where we serve but how we serve. 

I love each of you and I want you to know that your prayers are felt. Keep the Faith and May peace be the journey!

Love Elder Lowe

Another Mountain to Climb. Blog Letter 4/6/2015

Dearest Family,

I am overwhelmed as I email you today. So much has happened this past week and it has all culminated up to my next area and assignment that I received earlier this morning at transfer meeting. Thanks for not spoiling General Conference. I am excited to watch it next week in my new area. President Maurer did show us a clip of Elder Ballards talk in the priesthood session though and that was good. It sounds like the themes of General Conference are right on for my current stage of life.

I will miss UEP and Elder R. I greatly enjoyed my time there and though short, I grew close with many of the members. This past week being Holy week wasn't a great week for teaching investigators but we did have a lot of success with Recent Converts and Less Actives. My last Sunday in UEP ward was a good one to end on because the attendance was the highest that we have yet seen while we have been here and almost all of the Less Actives we have worked with for the past two transfers came to Church. 

J. and his girlfriend broke up on friday because she's a 'playa' and when we talked to his mom and sister that night we were just hoping and praying that he didn't go and get drunk. We taught him the next day though and we were happy to here that he withstood the temptation. He wanted to. He really, really wanted to get drunk but he didn't. He knew he couldn't. He has really made a lot of progress and I'm gonna miss him but I know he has a bright future ahead if he will continue on the path that he is currently on. I am excited to keep in touch with him in the coming years. 

So like I said, this past week was Holy Week and so that just means another excuse to party (go figure) and so everything was pretty dead this past week. We kind of anticipated that though and so in Missionary Coordination Meeting (MCM) last Sunday the members actually suggested that we do some kind of activity and so on Thursday we had an activity with all the Auxiliary leaders and ward missionaries where we prepared some team building games to help them develop unity. The Activity went really well. Elder R. knew some good games and I did as well thanks to Scouting and Venturing. The members that attended loved it and The Bishop and his Counselor Brother T. took all the little papers we made and were taking notes so that they could use the activities at Youth Conference this coming week. The ward here has a lot of potential and is really starting to get going which also means perfect timing for me to transfer. I'm grateful for the time I have spent there though and I hope I was able to help them in at least some small way. I have learned so much from them and from my companion.

As I contemplated what might happen for my last two transfers, I had a couple of guesses/wishes where I could be assigned and who I could be assigned with. Now with my assignment given I am reminded that what I want really doesn't matter and any of the idea's that I had would not have helped me grow as much as my current assignment will. My new area is Cebuano speaking and it is in Ormoc Zone it is called Kilim. So that will be fun switching back to Cebuano. My companion's name is Elder A. and he is from Samoa. He has a good heart but can be a bit troublesome to say the least. I was his zone leader in Tacloban. President has asked me to help him out. Being companions with him will surely be an adventure. 

I love each of you and I love this work. Thank you for your love and support. Your prayers are felt. I know that Jesus Christ lives and is our Savior. May we always remember the covenants that we have made.

Love, Elder Lowe

He lives! Blog letter 3/30/2015

Missionary work is a very unique job and responsibility. It is The Work of Salvation. It is a work which is highly dependent upon the agency of others. Our purpose is to invite, not force, others to come unto Christ. We are required to be patient, persistent, and persuasive as we rely on the Spirit to help as many people as possible develop personal Testimonies of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Restoration of His Church in these the last days in this the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times. Sometimes we plant, other times we harvest but as long as we do everything we can to serve with all of our heart, might, mind and strength no effort is wasted.

After coming in contact with missionaries about 4 years ago we were able to witness the Baptism of E.E. who was baptized by her husband this past Saturday. Despite poor attendance from the ward due to some scheduling conflicts the Baptism went really well. We are grateful that we were the final instruments in the hands of the Lord in leading Sister E. into the waters of Baptism. We now work with the Ward to help her and her husband prepare to enter the temple one year from now. I would send pictures but my camera battery is dead and we weren't able to buy batteries last week. One of the members took pictures though and they are going to send them to me. 

Graduation was this past week at UEP. So everything is pretty quiet now here for summer. Our investigator J is on vacation in May but wants to be baptized when he gets home. His dad is okay with it as well after all. So we are excited for him even though his baptism may not be in our time here in UEP. For now we are kind of back into a finding phase. I guess technically there shouldn't be a 'finding' phase because we should always be finding but this past week hit us a little harder than we expected. We still have some good things going though and we are excited to keep moving forward. Ja is doing good as well. We were finally able to teach him last night and it went really well. He still has a desire to change but it's still a process. 

This week as well we are especially mindful of our Savior Jesus Christ as we Celebrate his Death and Resurrection. I am continually learning and realizing just what his Atonement means for each of us. It is not just some thing that happened two thousand years ago. It is the single most important event that has occurred in the history of man kind. It was an act that effects each and every one of us each and every day of our lives. I am weak, but in his strength I am made strong. I know he lives. I know he loves us unconditionally.

Love Elder Lowe

Blog Letter 3/23/15

Dearest Family,

Again, it has been a great week. You have made mention of the NRMP form in your emails. We use that... in theory. It really is a brilliant idea, inspired actually. As far as this area of the world goes, it is implemented in some areas better than others and in some areas not at all. As missionaries we make them for our Recent Converts and Less Actives but it really takes a functioning ward council to keep the ball rolling when missionaries transfer. We hope to help UEP ward implement this form especially in helping Brother and Sister E. prepare to enter the temple in one years time. Sister E. is doing very well. She is indeed ready to be Baptized. It has been such a neat experience watching her grow in her testimony and "receive of the Spirit of Christ unto a remission of [her] sins." For years she has been cold towards the missionaries. When her husband was being the taught the lessons if she would ever come home and see the missionaries shoes out side she would immediately leave and go somewhere else until the missionaries had left. Her time however to receive the gospel has now come. As we went over the Baptismal interview questions with her this past week(her interview will be tomorrow), she described to us some of her feelings and though she didn't say, 'holy ghost' or 'spirit,' we were able to testify to her that her feelings and witness that this Church is true came from the Holy Ghost.

Everything else in the area is going good as well. We taught some promising new investigators this past week that we hope to see progress. J. is doing well but it will take a little more time till he gets baptized due to his family as well as being busy with the end of the school year. 

I really love this work. I love being a missionary. I am learning more and more of my dependence on God for everything. I know that he loves us unconditionally and he provides a way for us to accomplish all things if we will trust in him and be faithful. I love you all. Thank you for all your love and support. Keep the faith and may peace be the journey.

Love elder Lowe

All things bear witness of Him. Blog letter 3/16/2015

Dearest Family,

Wow, what a week. Just a note about pictures. I will send some whenever it's possible. The computer I'm at right now doesn't have a USB port for my card reader so next week hopefully I can send you some sweet pictures.

We went to Manila this past week for Fingerprinting. It is a visa requirement to return so we traveled to Tacloban on Friday then flew to manila on Saturday morning to do our fingerprinting and returned to Tacloban later that afternoon and traveled the six hours back up to catarman. It was weird being back up in manila. Tacloban mission definitely presents a different aspect of the Philippines. I saw Elder H. while we were at the MTC in Manila because he was doing the same thing and that was kind of cool. It sounds like he is doing really well in Bacolod.

We weren't able to teach J. very much this past week because he was busy working on an application for a job and was gone for a large part of the week. Hopefully we can contact him later on this evening and continue teaching him. N. is doing great and is gearing up for her baptism on the 28th. It has been so neat seeing the change that has occurred as we have taught her the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We thought she wouldn't be able to make it to Church on Sunday because of a sickness but she ended up being able to come anyways. We are excited for her upcoming baptismal date.

Our other investigator, J., is progressing as well. He has received a witness that this Church is true. His problem however is his family. He is currently living with his Aunt who is a member and that's where we teach him but he is scared to bring it up to his family because they are devout catholic. 

Yesterday I taught the youth class and the topic was about how the scriptures and all things bear witness of Christ and his Atonement. We started the lesson by reading a few scriptures about the atonement and then we read Moses 6:63 and then for the rest of class we listed things on the Board such as rocks, trees, the sun, water, bread, etc. and talked about how they testify of Christ and it was a really good discussion. My testimony was yet again strengthened that all things bear witness that there is a divine creator this morning at our zone activity. We went to this waterfall in Bobon, No. Samar and is was beautiful. I will send you some pictures next week. 

Until then, I love you all. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. Keep the faith and may peace be the Journey!

Love Elder Lowe

Just Open the Book. Blog Letter 3/10/2015

Dearest Family! 

It has been another wonderful week in the service of the Lord. 

The work in UEP is going well. The ward here is bursting with potential to say the least but I am really enjoying it here and am growing close with many of the members. 

We have been visiting J.J. on a regular basis and he is coming along. He has seemed a little more at peace with himself each time we visit him. Remember, he is less-active. We have just started from the beginning with him. We taught the first three lessons to him this past week. He is such a funny person and we have a lot of fun when we teach him. He read a little bit from the Book of Mormon this passed week was good. In one visit in which we followed up with him about his reading he described his experience in which he knew he needed to read and he wanted to see what was inside the book and so he would pick up the book and look at it for a moment, then for some reason he couldn't open the book and so he would set it down. And that cycle happened over again a couple more times where he would look at it and want to read, then when he picked it up he couldn't open it and would set it back down. He said that at that moment he wondered if he was going crazy. The experience strangely reminded me of Joseph Smith being seized upon in the Sacred Grove just before experiencing the first vision. There is power in discipline because starting to develop a good habit or a good thing is always the hardest part. 

We have another investigator who is doing really well. Her name is E.E. She is the wife of a recent convert. She was super shy at first but she warms up a little bit each time we visit and has begun expressing her gratitude each time we come and teach her and her husband. The first time we taught her, as we taught the first few principles of the restoration about our Father in Heaven and the Role of Families in his plan we explained how families can be eternal through the Sacred ordinances performed in the temple. Both she and her husband expressed a desire to be sealed. And so we used that to extend the invitation to be baptized and she accepted. That lesson was a couple weeks ago and she has come to Church a couple times since with her husband. If everything goes smoothly her baptism will be held on March 28.

Well, I have a lot more to say but it'll have to wait. Life is Good and I love being a missionary. I am inspired by the Journey of all the Saints through out history from the old testament until now. I am particularly inspired by the journey taken by Lehi and his family. We all have both good times and bad. Times in the land of Bountiful as well as times journeying through the wilderness. And although needed and refreshing are our times in Bountiful we ultimately must follow the commandments of the Lord through the wildernesses and across the oceans of life in order to arrive in the Land of Promise which has been prepared for us by a Loving Heavenly father.

Keep the faith and may peace be the Journey!

Love Elder Lowe

Not all Americans are Heartless. Blog Letter 3/2/2015

Dearest Family,

This week has been Maupay ora-ora! That means 'really good' in waray-s. 

Our investigator, J. came to church on Sunday and that went well for the most part. No one said anything too weird during fast and testimony meeting, and Bishop only taught a couple false Doctrines in Gospel Principles class. They weren't completely false just unclear and poorly explained. We were able to clear that all up later on anyways so all is well. J. is a student at UEP and he's really searching for truth. He believes that what we have taught is true but he's still searching for a sure answer. He is really smart and so teaching him has been pretty quick, right now it's just a matter of helping him receive a testimony and answering questions and concerns in a way that will help increase his faith. 

Ja. is doing good as well. We had a great lesson with him on Friday and he apologized for what happened last Sunday. I wants to change and we know he can repent but like I said last week, it will be a process. He came to Church yesterday and he is planning to talk with the Bishop soon. I see so much potential in him and I am excited to see and help him progress. We are just helping him start from the basics and building a habit of Church, Prayer, and Reading the Scriptures (CPR). 

In our companionship inventory on thursday Elder R. told me that I have shown him that not all Americans are Heartless... It was really funny the way he said it but I took it as a big complement. Maybe I've learned something after all these past 18 months... Needless to say, I am really enjoying being companions with Elder R. We are having fun and seeing some good progress here in UEP.

I love you all and I am grateful for your love and support. You're prayers are felt. Keep the Faith and may peace be the Journey!

Love Elder Lowe  

100% Sure. Blog Letter 2/23/2015

Dearest Family,

It has been a great week. The baptism of Sister J and Brother Ju was a success. I felt the spirit really strong at the baptismal service. J seemed to be trying to absorb every moment as she stood in the Baptismal font. They were baptized by the Elders Quorum President Brother S. 

Brother Ja is good but it's going to be a process helping him return back into full activity. He really opened up to us this past week. He wants to change and he has tried but he keeps falling. But that's the wonderful part about the Atonement, There is always another chance as long as we are willing to repent. He came to part of church yesterday which was good but when we returned to teach him last night he was drunk.. We love him though and we really want to help him change and we have faith that he can.

Earlier this week we were on a tricycle (a motor cycle with a side car) and I was right next to the driver and he looked at us and said, "Are you sure your Church is true." A little confused but confident nonetheless I replied, "yes.." He then said, "How sure?" Still unsure where this was going but sure that the church was true, immediately I said, "100% sure."  Then I asked what religion he was from and he said he was from the Reorganized Church. I was even more surprised at this fact but then he admitted to actually being a member and RM from Catarman. He was just messin around with us and we got a good laugh out of it afterwards. Later that day I was reflecting on the experience and even though I was a little unsure where this guy was going I was sure that the Church was true and I honestly don't know how else I would have responded.

The Work is going well here. I am excited for this next transfer and hopefully we will see a couple of more Baptisms. I love you all and hope all is well! You are in my prayers often. Keep the faith and may peace be the Journey!

Love Elder Lowe

We Got A New Phone Blog Letter 2/15/2015

Dear Family,

But really, Elder R. and I got a big kick out of the package. When I opened the box we were both shocked when I pulled out an iphone 6 box. I knew there was no way it was actually an iphone, but at first glance I was still pretty surprised. We laughed pretty hard at the iphone case inside and even played some pranks on the other missionaries convincing them that we had actually bought an iphone because our mission phone broke. The iphone box now makes a nice decoration on my desk. I loved the socks and the shirts as well! The socks smell so good! I haven't used them yet because they smell so good. Sometimes I just sit at my desk and smell them... Please also send my thanks to The Spanish Peak and YSA ward for their letters and Christmas messages. I particularly enjoyed the letter of Jessie J. so tell her hello and thank her for me. I got the Christmas card of Rob and Ali! You both look great. I also got the one year announcement thing where Hailey still looks like an alien (it's okay... all babies look that way when they are newly born). She is really cute though in the Christmas card.

The area is doing well and it gets better each week. J and J are preparing for their baptism coming up on Saturday and so we hope and pray all will go well there. We talked to their parents this past week when we filled out their baptism and confirmation record and they are okay with them being baptized but they don't want anything to do with the Church. I was maybe a little more persistent than I should have been but hopefully one day they will soften their hearts. The best place to learn and live the Gospel truly is in the family unit. On that note, we committed the wife of a recent convert to be baptized in March! And oh, of course the goal is that they, N and T will be able to attend the temple and be sealed.

We also met a man named J this past week. He used to be active a long time ago but for the past several years has been less active. He has a desire to come back though and he wants us to teach and baptize his girl friend. We have only taught him once and have an appointment with him and his girl friend on Tuesday but we are super excited to work with them. He has a really good heart and I hope we might be able to help him return to activity in the church.

We had a zone training earlier this week and then another training down in Tacloban later in the week for the missionaries who are in training. The training was good and arriving in Tacloban kind of felt like coming home but wow that ride is killer. Seven hours of windy road. I'm not one to get car sick but that ride always gives me a pretty good headache. The mode of transport is a van; A Toyota Hiace to be exact. The mission focus this month is Consecration and it is on that note that I would like to close. Like most things in life, consecrating oneself is a process. It happens one step at a time. I believe that God understands this concept and I believe that our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ love us unconditionally. Obeying His commandments and consecrating ourselves to Him and His work is how we show our love for Him. And then in His infinite goodness He makes us into something greater than we could ever become if left to ourselves. Because of His atonement which is infinite and eternal we can change and become better. As we obey Him and consecrate ourselves to Him we are exercising faith in His great atoning sacrifice. The master stated, "If ye love me, keep my commandments" and King Benjamin in his wisdom said, speaking of belief in God and repentance, "...and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them." And then if we do, we will "be led to a land of promise." If I might personalize the scriptures, 1 Nephi 2:20 could read, "And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be [changed into a man] of promise; yea, even a [man] which I have [planned] for you; yea, a [manner of man] which is choice above all other [manner of men]." The Savior asked, 'What manner of men ought ye to be?' And then answering His own question He states, "Verily I say unto you, even as I am." If we will willingly obey his commandments and consecrate ourselves to Him and His work, He will make us into such a man. Yea, even a man of God. Perfection is a process. It occurs one step at a time as we strive to follow the great plan of happiness that has been given to us.

I love seeing miracles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the lives of all the people that we work with as well as in my own life. I know God lives and loves us regardless of our weaknesses. He wants us to succeed and because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ we can and will.

I love you all! Keep the faith and may peace be the journey!

Love Elder Lowe

Four Seasons Blog Leter 2/9/2015

Dearest Family!

We had a great week up here in UEP! Nothing is more devastating than when investigators or Less-Actives don't keep commitments. On the other hand nothing is more rewarding than when they do. This week had a little bit of both. Our neighbors, the A. family came to Church and so we were happy about that other than the fact that they were late and didn't come in until after the Sacrament was over. But we are still glad they came. We have become really close with them over the past couple of weeks because we talk with them almost everyday. The father passed away a few years ago and they have their struggles but they are great.

Another Less Active we are working with is only 22 years old and was really active before but just got busy I guess. He wants to return but he's afraid. I know you all recognize the feared question by such a person, "What are you doing here?" or "Who are you?" We have a good relationship with him and we have had some great lessons with him but Missionaries can only do so much in such a situation. Hopefully we can work with the Elders Quorum to fellowship him. My testimony of Home teaching and Visiting teaching has grown so much as I have served as a missionary. The concept is brilliant if we will use it. Whodda thunk right?

We have investigators being baptized on the 21 of February. They were taught by the previous missionaries and I was reluctant to baptize them at first because their parents aren't members and one is 14 and the other is 11. But they've been coming to Church now for about three years now and So I think they're ready. The oldest is pretty smart. In fact I think she's smarter than some of our adult investigators. Her little brother has mental limitations though and so we have to take the lessons very slowly with him.

Elder R. is doing well and our training is going great. We have really developed a good relationship. His optimism and enthusiasm for the work is contagious and has really helped me a lot. I may be the trainer but I am being trained just as much. His dream is to play basketball at BYU and he really wants to experience what winter is like. He really liked the pictures of Jenny and Austin when they hiked to that snow river place. In fact, he told some members about it when we visited them this passed week. I honestly don't know what it's like to not have experienced snow or all four seasons for that matter.I love you all and love hearing from you! Keep the faith, always do your visiting and home teaching, and may peace be the journey!

Love Elder Lowe

Professors Lowe and R Blog Letter 2/2/2015

Dearest Family!

What a wonderful week it has been. Elder R and I are doing very well up here in UEP. We've really been striving to find professional and family investigators but of course we will teach anyone who will listen. 

We have on member who is a professor and this last week we had the opportunity to teach two of her sociology classes. The topic was the importance of a belief in Jesus Christ in our lives and in our society. It went really well and we had some great participation from the classes. We are now just hoping to get into contact with the students individually so that we can teach them in more detail about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. 

The ward is also doing well. We attended their Ward Council meeting yesterday and they have some good goals set for the year. They are starting to gain a vision that I think has been heretofore lacking. 

I have much more to say but I am out of time. I do want you to know that I love you and appreciate your love and support. And in case you were wondering, I haven't used toilet paper for almost two years now. 

Keep the faith my friends, and may peace be the journey!! Love ya

Love Elder Lowe

New Everything Blog Letter 1/26/2015

So What's first? New Companion, New area, Newish Language, Typhoon.

I lot has happened but I Just can't express everything I would like over an Email but I will do my best.

So yes, I was transferred and I am training. My New companion is Elder R and we are assigned up in UEP (University of Eastern Philippines) ward, The second farthest area from Tacloban. I really like the area so far. White-washing is always a little challenging especially when all the former missionaries investigators were either female or Children but we are making due. The members are really kind and willing to participate in the work. We are really trying to find potential Melchezidek priesthood holders. 

My New Companion is really good as well. Get this, Elder R is Elder D Cousin! What are the chances? I am really happy to be training at this point in my mission. Elder R fresh excitement has really helped me be excited and motivated as well. 

As for the Language, it is Waray-s so all the "h's" are switched back to 's' and there's different words and phrases they use and the tone is different so that has been fun. I have been practicing my Tagolog a lot though and so that has been good. I use both Waray and Tagolog in teaching and working with the people and mostly just Tagolog with Elder R. He can speak English but he's not as good as Elder D at English. I love him just the same though.

I'm getting a little bit tired of Typhoons. Amang wasn't super huge but we did have some minor flooding in our house and it took the power out for a few days. I will admit though, there is a cool feeling to doing nightly planning by candle light.

I have been especially reliant upon the Lord these passed few weeks in this new area. And I have felt his spirit and guidance in this new area. 

I love you all and I love hearing from you. Keep the faith and may peace be the journey!

Love Elder Lowe

The Indian in Tacloban Letter 1/11/2015

Good morning mga buotan! 

Another full week has come and gone as though in the blink of an eye! I have done an alright job of staying out of the hospital while I've been on my mission but this week I had to give in... I've had a nasty ingrown toenail for the past 6 or 7 months and I finally decided/was convinced to go get it taken care of. And so I did. I took a video of the operation and I was going to send it to you but the file is too big. The whole operation took about 5 minutes and was painless. The Doctor said it was gonna hurt when the anesthetic wore off but it hasn't at all. It feels a whole lot better than it did before that's for sure. 

Our area is doing well and we are finally starting to see some progression. We've really had to stay focused this past transfer but we hope to start seeing some of the fruits in the coming months. R. and M.J. were finally able to make it to Church this past week as well as a few others. You know that feeling you get when a girl you like walks into the room? Well, that's the feeling I get whenever investigators walk into Sacrament meeting.  

T. is still doing well. We had some very good lessons this past week with him about the Book of Mormon and we were able to spend one visit reading with him from 3 Nephi 11. He made a comment that he had heard a lot of different beliefs and what not but as we've shared with him the message has really gotten through and has made sense. He has also made the comment that he feels enlightened. He wasn't able to come to church on Sunday but we committed him to be baptized in February and he agreed. He really understood the doctrine of baptism as we read with him from 3 Nephi 11. Like most investigators, he was a little nervous to pray at the end of the lesson and so when we asked him he said that he would next time but not now. We prompted him a little more but he still wouldn't pray but then my companion rose up on his knees and asked T. to if he would please pray. T. didn't ask any questions but agreed promptly to offer the prayer. He didn't mean to but I think he scared T. into praying. 

Note: My companion is from Fiji. He is black and super ripped. He has been our companion for the past couple of weeks until transfers. 

We met a man this past week named D. He is from India and when he saw us at a little street store he was curious and so he started talking to us. We had to leave so we invited him to come to church and we gave him our number and he gave us his. We honestly didn't expect to hear from him again but the next day he called and wanted us to come visit him and so the next day we were able to go to his apartment and teach him. This teaching appointment was such a neat experience. Even though he's from India he has a Christian background and is currently Born Again. He has been here for 4 years and has a business but ever since he has been here he hasn't been to Church or anything and perhaps when he saw us he saw it as an opportunity to reconnect. As we taught him his eyes were fixed on us and we can tell he is honestly searching for something.

Now... Since things are finally looking up in our area let's talk about transfers! They are doing things different this transfer and transfers are at the beginning of the week instead of the end. I don't know where I'm going yet but I will find out tomorrow at transfer meeting. I have been called again to serve as a trainer. So I will email you with more information on who my new "anak" is and where we're at. It's all kind of bitter/sweet but I'm excited. I'll do and go wherever the Lord needs me.

I love this Gospel. I know that it changes lives. I know God hears and answers our prayers and as we truly Pray in Christ' and pray by the spirit we will know what to pray for. Our will becomes aligned with His will and we truly are able to call upon the powers of Heaven.(BD:prayer)  I love you all. Keep the faith and may peace be the Journey.

Love Elder Lowe

Recommit! Blog Letter 1/5/2015

Happy New Year! 

It was a pretty good week. While people in the real world are wishing for a longer vacation we are happy that everybody is back to their normal schedules. New years was great. We went to bed at 1030, woke up for for a second around midnight because it was really loud and then went back to sleep. Now it's 2015. I conveniently finished one journal on December 31 and started another on January 1. 

It rained all week long. We even had a mini typhoonish thing come through and we woke up on Tuesday morning to minor flooding in areas through out our zone. Burgos street, the street that our apartment is on, was a river with about 5 inches of water. So, needless to say, most of our area was flooded and made work a little difficult for the rest of the week. However, we still had success. We met and have started teaching this sweet old T. He is super poor and his house got destroyed in Yolanda and again in Ruby. Despite his conditions he is super smart. We taught him about this restoration and he accepted the invitation to be baptized. We were able to go and help him clean up where he lives and we are going to have some more service projects with him this next week. He is just this old sweet man and we feel really good about him for some reason. I hope and pray that he will continue to progress.

As far as new years resolutions go, for us we're more just recommitting to obedience, diligence, and sincerity. I had this idea of re-commitment in mind as I partook of the sacrament on Sunday and was so grateful that we have the opportunity to renew and recommit to our covenants not each year or each month but each week on the Holy Sabbath.  I have come to realize the Sacrament as an actual force that enables us each week to use the atonement and motivates us and makes it possible for us to change and become as our Savior. 

I love you all and hope you have a great week.

Keep the faith and may peace be the journey!

Love Elder Lowe