O Ye That Embark

Hey Guys!

Hope everyone is doing well! Things have been beautiful here in Florida, and I'm happy as a clam! Where did that saying come from anyways? I've never seen a clam smile. Maybe I'm getting the saying wrong.. very possible.

This past week has been great! It has been a little slower than the week before and we have definitely had some sad times, but its been really good too. We have a few investigators that are almost progressing... They are like right on the edge. They just need to take that last step and they will be right on track. The trick is figuring out what is going to help them to take that step. We have learned a lot lately about what a person needs in order to be "prepared". And basically they need to be searching in one way or another. They need to want to know. And the problem we run into a lot is that people don't really care one way or another. They are willing to hear us out, but it doesn't make any difference to them if the gospel is true or not. Its sad. My ward mission leader said that President Kimball once said something about how the South should just be burned and we should do baptisms for the dead... one of you should check that out for me and see if Brother Leicht is just full of it:) But sometimes that feels like the better option ;p

So we had the opportunity yesterday to speak in sacrament meeting... together... as in both of us up at the pulpit together, teaching. It was kind of weird. But we taught the Plan of Salvation so it was nothing new! It was weird but it seemed to go well. One of the recent converts in the ward received a calling and was sustained in sacrament meeting so he brought his older brother. We cornered his brother after sacrament meeting and asked if we could teach him! He said yes, and asked that we talk to his daughter too. He said that ever since he was young he has been looking for the right church. He said he has been to a lot, and they have been good, but nothing has felt right yet. (See, searching! Searching=prepared!) We are so excited for that. His daughter is coming to a youth activity that we have coming up and she is bringing a friend!!

Speaking of activities, the booth at the fair didn't work out:( We applied pretty late and they were already full. But we all feel like it was part of the plan. And now they have a whole year to plan and prepare and make it just right. Plus we already have two big activities this month and one more is just too much. On the 26th we are having an open house. We will be offering tours of the church, and there will be an auxiliary leader in each of the rooms to briefly explain their program. The young women will be doing a sewing project, and the scouts will be doing whatever scouts do. Probably burning stuff. And then the missionaries will be in the cultural hall afterward to answer any questions. We have been handing out invites like crazy so hopefully this will be a really good event! We are combining with the branch here too so that should be fun! The other activity we are doing is a youth movie night. We will be showing the Saratov Approach, and we have had all the youth invite tons of their friends and they are doing so good! A lot of other missionaries have been showing this movie and its had a lot of success. After the movie we are going to have a panel where the youth and their friends can ask the missionaries anything they want about us, or missionary life, or the gospel or whatever. We are pretty excited about it!

Last night Sister Schaumkel and I were also asked to speak at New Beginnings about how personal progress influenced our lives and our decision to serve a mission. It was just what I needed! There is a special place in my heart for the young womens program and just being there at new beginnings helped me remember a lot.

In my talk, I shared the quote at the back of the Personal Progress book that says, "Give me a young woman who loves home and family, who reads and ponders the scriptures daily, who has a burning testimony of the Book of Mormon. Give me a young woman who faithfully attends her church meetings, who is a seminary graduate, who has earned her Young Womanhood Recognition Award and wears it with pride! Give me a young woman who is virtuous and who has maintained her personal purity, who will not settle for less than a temple marriage, and I will give you a young woman who will perform miracles for the Lord now and throughout eternity." -President Ezra Taft Benson.

This is a quote that has been meaningful to me for a very long time. I want to be a woman that will perform miracles for the Lord now and in the eternities. I want to be worthy and ready so that the Lord can call upon me at any time for anything. That quote gave me a vision of who I wanted to become, and when I had that vision I was on the right track, and the adversary had no power over me. It kept me good. It kept me doing the right things. It got me to the temple on a weekly basis. It got me to all of my young womens activities. It got me to church every sunday. It got me reading my scriptures daily. It helped me know that I needed to serve a mission. Because all of those things help you to become someone.

Sometimes we lost that vision of who we want to become, and that's when we falter. It takes effort, and the tender mercies of our Heavenly Father to remember.

The youth theme this year is D+C 4:2 Therefore, o ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind, and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.

Do whatever you need to in order to prepare yourself, so that when the Lord calls you can answer with your hand in His. When He needs you, you will be ready and willing to give it all to Him, whatever it is that He asks. Do whatever you must to become a man or woman who will perform miracles for the Lord now and throughout eternity!

It was a good reminder for me about why I am here, where I'm going, and who I want to become.

I love you all!

Love always, Sister Rowland