September 12, 2016 First week in Beaumont!!!

Dear everyone reading this email,
A big 'ol hello to y'all, I hope everything has been well for each one
of you, things have been great in Beaumont! There is actually no city
called Beaumont, we bike around Lexington every day. It's been pretty
toasty out, but we got cooled down on Saturday when we got caught in a
nasty rain storm. Livin the bike missionary dream boys and girls,
ain't nobody got it as good as the Beaumont boys! It's really
different serving in a big city, I miss the country already haha!
People here are very different and it's taking some getting used to on
my part, but it'll all work out in the end! We stopped to talk to a
couple this last week and we couldn't understand them because they
only speak whatever language they speak, they're from Africa (Elder
Haws I needed you man)! So yeah, Lexington is pretty diverse. It's
awesome being a bike missionary again, not worrying about miles or a
clean car, I just have to worry about getting hit by one! The drivers
here are terrible! There is also a very sweet old lady named
Pocahontas in the ward, we visit her in her nursing home and she calls
us "her boys" and we call her "mama" and that's how everyone knows us,
so it's pretty awesome!

So yesterday in church I heard something said that I had never thought
of before and I want to share it with y'all. So most everyone knows
this scripture, if you don't here it is, in Matthew 17:20 it says: "20
And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say
unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say
unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove;
and nothing shall be impossible unto you." Now I always thought that
meant to literally remove mountains, and it can apply to that if you
have that kind of faith, but in Sunday school someone said, "if we
have faith, we can remove the mountains in our own lives." And that
blew my little mind!

So yes, you can move mountains! Heavenly Father doesn't give us trials
for no reason, He doesn't do ANYTHING without a reason behind it. If
we humble ourselves and look for God's reasoning in our hard times, we
won't question what He does and we will find peace and happiness in
our lives. I remembers as a Senior in high reflecting back on the
years my dad was deployed and wondering why Heavenly Father had taken
me away from my dad for those precious years. I somewhat understood it
in my first few weeks as a missionary. The Lord knew I needed to grow
on my own while my dad was gone, He knew I couldn't have anyone to
rely on but Him if I was gonna make it through those difficult times
and in future times of trial. God needed me to be alone so I could
realize I am never alone. Just a simple example. Try reflecting on
some past trials and try to think of the Lord's purpose in putting you
through it, it will help open your eyes to the amazing plan He has for
you.

God bless, enjoy some sunshine and some lemonade (unless you're in
school then get to work!),

Elder Crow