The only Elder named Crow you know 11/2/15

Hello you goonies,
First off, shout out to my bro Matt Vogel for going to the MTC today!
He will be serving his mission in Connecticut and he is going to be a
boss missionary! You're gonna kill it Matt! I mean Elder! Dang it...

Anyways this week has been a free fall of emotions, lots of trials
thrown my way. The weather has been absolutely ridiculously crazy! It
is either cold with a ton of wind and rain, or its a bit hot (it gets
hotter when you're on a bike). It's getting colder and colder, they're
saying this winter is going to be brutal! But I'm usually too busy
focusing on my burnin gluteus and thighs. I have a deep hatred for
hills at this point in my life.

On Tuesday, I thought I'd moved back to Washington because it was like
60 degrees with a headwind every way we biked, and it RAINED! It
literally rained for a full 24 hours, no joke home skillets. I went on
an exchange with Elder Caskey, one of our zone leaders. He is an
amazing missionary! We contacted 15-20 people in the rain and they all
thought we were crazy. Every one of them told us to stay dry...even
though we were drenched already. We tried a less active member, but
they weren't home. We got back on our bikes, but when I swung my leg
over my bike, I heard this long rip. I had a HUGE hole in the bottom
of my pants, the same pair I ripped my second day of my mission! We
had a hot chocolate break, then we went to our ward mission leader's
house for TSCO TUESDAY. That's right ladies and gents, we have
freaking Taco Tuesday in the GKLM...stick that in your juice box and
suck it!

Here's an awesome experience we had on Wednesday. We were at the ward
Halloween party and 2 young men walked in and introduced themselves as
being from Springfield, Missouri here for an FFA convention. One of
them was a member and his best friend has been investigating the
church lately. We got to know them quite well over the course of the
night and when it was time for them to leave, their ride hadn't showed
up. So Ryan (the member) turned to his friend and asked him if he
wanted to take the first discussion. He said yes! So we went into one
of the primary rooms and taught him the restoration. The spirit was
undoubtably there and I know that Ryan's friend felt it! At the end of
the discussion, we had Ryan bear his testimony and it was so powerful!
Then, Elder Koenig asked him if he would accept the invitation to be
baptized (in Missouri), he got real quiet and everything was really
peaceful, then he said that he would!

The grace of God can work in the life of every man and woman on this
earth, we just have to let him in! There is not a moment when Heavenly
Father isn't reaching His hand out, just waiting for us to take it and
be lifted out of the hole we've dug ourselves into. I have seen the
light of Christ brighten in the people we have taught. We've had a lot
of people drop us this past week, but I know that I did everything I
could to offer them access to the Atonement of Jesus Christ. And you
don't have to wear a tag and ride on a bike to give people that
opportunity. Member missionary work is the most effective conversion
tool on the face of the planet. All of you can feel the influence of
the Holy Spirit and our savior whenever you choose to, take His hand.
What are you waiting for, He's right there! He atoning sacrifice of
Christ applies to all of us, we just have to desire that change within
ourselves and seek every opportunity to strengthen our foundation in
Jesus Christ. Here are 3 of many simple ways to invite Him into our
lives: 1) Have the missionaries in your home for a meal, a lesson, or
both. You can have servants of the LORD in your home, don't miss that
opportunity, let them teach you plain and simple doctrines because
that is one of the easiest ways to increase our desire and ability to
find missionary opportunities. 2) Read your scriptures. This is so
freaking simple. You have the word of God. So freaking read it, it's
there for a reason. 3) Pray for opportunities to uplift and cheer up
someone close to you. Despite what people may look like, everyone has
something they are struggling with. DO NOT pass up an opportunity to
share a smile, talk with someone, invite them to an activity or
something, or anything you can think of that would have a positive
impact on them. I can promise you that as you pray and seek for the
chance to be a light in the darkest of days, Heavenly Father will lift
you up and help you to do so.

I love you all, look for the light in others and be that light in the dark,
Much love,
Elder Crow