Big Talker

This week was pretty good! No complaints. Tuesday we got to go out with bishop to see a few people which went pretty well! First we saw the gentleman who told us off and then invited us back this week. And he had some serious doctrinal misconceptions that were holding him back. Bishop Jaeckel is so awesome. He is exactly who we needed for this. Because he is such a caring person. He is so genuine and loves and cares for everyone in this ward very much. And he is also a big talker. And it is nearly impossible to interrupt him. So he just talked right through this gentleman's problems and it was amazing to see it click with him. It was like night and day when he realized that what we were sharing was right! He thanked us generously for coming and told us he planned to be at church on Sunday! Which is awesome. 

Our next visit with bishop was to another less active couple. They are way nice. Like the kindest people you could come across. True southern hospitality. Me and Elder Anderson had been to see them before and they have a testimony and love the church but said they just got lazy. So when we were there he first time we invited them back and they said they would think on it but never got there. Then while we were there with bishop they all just fit like a puzzle and got along so well! Bishop begged them to come back and told them we need good people them and they said they would be back! And that is so awesome and I'm so excited for them! The rest of the week was pretty low key. 

We had a Zone Training Meeting on Friday which was awesome! They basically re-trained us on how we are supposed to be going about the work in South Carolina and it was eye opening! The Spirit was there testifying of the things we were being told and I am so grateful for all the things we learned! It also caused me and Elder Anderson to come back and evaluate our efforts. We weren't doing anything wrong per se, we just could be doing much better. So we set some more goals and are very excited to be doing better, more effective missionary work! 

Saturday was really good. We had a lesson that re-affirmed the things we learned on Friday and the goals we set. We had a bible referral who we went to see and we got to teach her about the restoration of the church and share our testimonies with her and she invited us to come back next week! Which, of course, we intend to do! 

Then Sunday was great! After our ZTM on Friday we went to the ward mission leader with some goals and new information and got to talk about how the members can help! And we got to partake of the sacrament! Which I am always so grateful for. It is such an amazing thing every week and reminds me of the covenants I have made. I love you all and miss you so much! Have a great week!

Elder Dowell (2)

"Where'd you get that suit, the toilet store?"

Promptings and Blessings

Hello everyone! This week marks the start of my third transfer in Moncks corner with Elder Anderson! It was a little slow but overall a great week! 

Tuesday we had an interesting experience with a less active member. He asked us a bunch of questions and we answered them to the best of our ability and more often than not be was not satisfied with our answers. Which was a little frustrating because we just wanted to help him understand what we were talking about. After a few failed attempts to explain some misinterpreted doctrine, we told him that ultimately it comes down to faith. There is an awesome quote that I have written all over our apartment. I don't know the exact original quote but it is something to the affect of "if you want to do something you will find a way, if you don't, you will find an excuse." I am going to modify it a little to demonstrate what we shared with this gentleman. "If you want to believe something you will have faith. If you don't you will have an excuse." If you really want to, you can always find a reason not believe something. What takes real courage and strength, is relying on your faith to believe something you don't quite understand. While we are here and on earth of it is not, and cannot be given to us to understand all things. It is simply impossible. So we are asked to have faith and trust that the Lord knows and wants what is best for us. After we explained that to him, he invited us to come back next week. It was amazing to see the Spirit soften his heart and I am so grateful for the opportunity to be the Lord's instrument in that way. 

Then the next thing that happened was Friday. We have been having very little success in the area of expanding our investigator pool and helping people progress to baptism. So on Friday, after our weekly planning session, we had a pretty intense, but very spiritual planning on how we are going to hasten the work here in Moncks Corner. We prepared a list of people to start seeing and area to work in and then set a faith as a power goal! Which I think I talked about in the last few weeks but I will tell you what it is anyway. We took our desires to the Lord and put it in his hands. We told Him what we are going to do to accomplish our goal and we have been promised, by prophets both modern day and in the scriptures, that after an intense trial of our faith, if we persevere with our side of the work, the Lord will help us fulfill or righteous desires. It won't be easy, that we are also promised. And our faith will be sufficiently tried, but if we endure it will, the Lord "shall exalt [us] on high" (D&C 121: 8). So that was awesome and very uplifting and hopefully our faith will be sufficient to accomplish our goals and become more effective missionaries. If anyone wants a better explanation of our faith as a power goal setting, the concept is found in a book called "drawing on powers of heaven". 

Saturday was so awesome!! We had a mission wide conference with Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve and a few other General  Authorities. Elder Stevenson talked to us about a few things but there are two I would like to highlight and share. The first is something I have come to know more about in my mission am appreciate more than I ever did before. Repentance. Repenting allows us to grow closer to God and utilize this time of trial and probation He has given us. It is the ultimate manifestation of His love and Christ's love for us. Good sent his only begotten son, and Christ willfully suffered and died so that through him, we can be made whole and our losses made up. Because of him death hath no victory and the gave no sing. Christ lives and because of him we will live again. The other thing Elder Stevenson talked about was obedience. As missionaries we have a lot of rules. And some of them seem trivial and irrelevant. But Elder Stevenson encouraged us to look at them not as rules, but instead as ways to receive blessings. That is a really cool perspective and, in retrospect, that is something I have seen on my mission. The Lord wants to bless us! And through our obedience to his commandments he can and will bless us! 

On Saturday night, shortly after this conference, me and Elder Anderson were able to really see the blessings that the Lord can give us. We are walking to an appointment and we got this weird feeling not to go the way we were headed. So we decided we would back track and loop around the other way. Then as we were walking back we had a strong promoting to get inside because for whatever reason it wasn't safe. And it was getting later so we just started walking really fast back to the apartment. We had only been walking for about a block when a member saw us and offered to take us the rest of the way home. We gladly accepted and got back fine. I still don't know what the Lord was moving is away from. But I am so grateful that we found ourselves in a position where we were able and ready to received that prompting. 

Sunday was really good too! We had a special stake conference in the Charleston stake and we got to hear from Elder Stevenson again! He talk mostly about prayer and encouraged us to pray more frequently and am the Lord's help always. It was really awesome and as he was talking I could feel the Spirit testify to me that he is an Apostle called of God to assist in leading and directing us today. I'm so grateful that I had the opportunity to hear from him and meet him and hear him talk about missionary work. It was so uplifting and awesome. I love you all and miss you so much! Have an amazing week and pray always!

"He could sell a ketchup popsicle to a woman in white gloves" 

 Elder Dowell (2)

Ghetto Ball

This week was way good! Tuesday was great. We had District Development Meeting and the Zone Leaders were going on exchanges with Elder Rose so they were there and we got to go to lunch with Elder Rose and Elder Jacobsen after which was awesome. And it was Sister Johanson's last DDM (she goes home on Wednesday) so she got up and gave a training, bore her testimony, and gave some advice and it was awesome! Anyone is Southern Utah, more specifically St. George, keep you're bananas peeled because she is awesome! Her training was on diligence and it was such an awesome training. It reminded me of a quote from Elder Holland. "I testify that bad days come to an end, that faith always triumphs, and that heavenly promises are always kept." And it is so true! The trials we face can be hard and shake every fiber of our being. But they can help us grow and become stronger. And it may seem like we aren't strong enough to do the things we are asked to do. But I can testify that there is an hand stretched out to each and every one of us to pull us from our trials and despair. So that it is not up to our own mortal strength. If we are diligent in seeking the help and strength of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, he will always be there to help us when we are low and take us to heights we could never imagine. Those trials and weaknesses will become building blocks and strengths if we humble ourselves and ask for help. 

Sister Johanson's training went in a little bit of a different direction but that is what I took from it and wanted to share! Wednesday was pretty good! We had literally no success most of the day. Then a member came out with us after dinner and we had a few people to go see. The first one was a less active we were have been working with and we were able to talk with him for like a half hour! It was way awesome and we got to bear testimony to him that the messages of the Book of Mormon are tailored to us specifically for today and it really clicked with him. Then we had a bible referral and usually when we go people just get their bible and want us to leave. But the reason this guy ordered a new bible was because he had worn out his last 3 and needed a new one! So he really loves the Bible and the truths found therein. So we got to talk with him about how we also believe in the Bible and exchanged some uplifting verses that definitely invited the spirit. Then we introduced him to the Book of Mormon and he was very stand offish at first but the member we were with explained how it is similar to the Bible and why we have it and was really excited to read it! So that was way awesome. 

Thursday was pretty good! Elder Rose (the district leader) came down to Moncks Corner with me for a Thursday-Friday exchange that went awesome! I am going to merge to two days together because I don't remember what exactly happened each day haha. Overall though, between the two days, we biked about 50 miles. Which was super fun. We have a list of people we need to see and haven't gotten to. So we saw all of them! We were biking like crazy! It was so awesome! Only about 3 of them were interested in us seeing them again but is was like the most productive 2 days I've had in a while. So I loved it.  

Then on Friday Elder Rose and I burned through our plans and were almost back at the apartment at 4:30. But then we had an exchange miracle!!!!! Ghetto ball!!!!!! There was a street game so we stopped and asked if we could play and they said yes! So we played in our short and ties! We were there for 2 games and I was absolutely trash the first game. Then the second game I found my shot a little bit and got a few big "ooooohs" which were extremely satisfying ha ha. And they said if we are ever around they would stop us and ask us to play which is awesome! Saturday was filled with plans falling through and people not wanting to talk to us all day. Then at 6 we had lock-down for New Years which was pretty uneventful. The lock-down was mission wide and the Georgetown elders are the only ones out there for about 40 miles ha ha. So they got very bored and called us after they planned so we talked to the, for a little which was fun. Sunday was great. I love having the opportunity to partake of the sacrament each week. It is such a blessing to be able to renew my baptismal covenants with my Heavenly Father. Then after church we were able to set up a TON of appointments!! So this week should be good! I love you all and miss you so much! Have an amazing week!

"I saved his life in the army"

"You were in the army?"

"No, I got him out of it"

Elder Dowell (2)