Bamboo June 27

Hello, hola, konicaiwh(I think that's how Japan spells it), wie gehts,
I have been practicing my gift of tongues for when I meet the true
Apalacia people out here! Met a few this past week with Elder Bragg
and they had some of the thickest accents if ever heard! He asked me
what they said afterwards and I guess my gift of tongues has been
kicking in because I understood every word haha, I've been in eastern
Kentucky too long! But I've loved working with Elder Bragg  this week,
it is so awesome to give a new missionary the experience of a
lifetime, although I'm not sure how appreciative he is of my not using
the car too often haha. We finished our day out on Wednesday and we
came in for the day; after planning he asked me to count up how far we
had gone that day and I figured we biked about 26 miles that day! I'm
the worst car missionary ever haha! President Brough came to church
yesterday and the member teaching the class we were in mentioned how
much we bike and I'm not sure if I'll be in a car area much longer
after I leave London haha!

So onto the title of my email, bamboo. I was preparing a mini-training
I was asked to give at district meeting and my ward mission leader,
Brother Harms, gave me an AWESOME analogy on faith, you are allowed to
quote this whenever you want because it's that good. So when you plant
a bamboo seed, it takes A LOT of work. Try guessing how long it takes
for a bamboo seed, to sprout, or even grow. How long would you guess?
Well you're probably wrong, whatever you guessed. You have to
faithfully tend to and water this seed for....5 years. 5 whole years!
And after 5 years of watering (you can't stop or it shrivels up and
dies) you get a small shoot 3 inches tall. But! But, for the next 80
days after the seed sprouts, you would have a 90 foot bamboo tree!!

Well I think that takes some dedication! But how great of a blessing
it must be to have such a lovely tree after so many years of arduous
watering and weeding. I don't think it's much different from our
faith. Sometimes it takes years to nurture and care for a slowly
sprouting seed of faith and hope, but the outcome it ALWAYS worth it!
So for those of you who don't feel like your faith is where it should
be, keep trying and don't you dare give up! To quote an apostle of the
Lord, "So keep loving. Keep trying. Keep trusting. Keep believing.
Keep growing. Heaven is cheering you on today, tomorrow, and forever."
There will always be room to grow and learn, but if you feel like your
faith isn't as firm and strong as you would like, your only critic is
yourself. Do your best and trust that God will help you to complete
the rest of this long journey we call life. "You may not know
everything, but you know enough."

God Bless all y'all and Happy Independence Day (p-day is next Tuesday
so don't be surprised when I don't email on Mondays),

Elder Crow

And So The Training Begins June 20

Hello everyone,
This week has been amazing!! I got Elder Bragg from Louisville on
Tuesday and we've been workin our tails off since, and I think I'm
killin him with this humidity haha! We haven't found a lot of new
people this week, but we've been working really hard with Gabby. She
came to church yesterday and she loved its, then later that night we
went to Lexington for a fireside and she got up and bore her testimony
about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and said how
happy she's been since she's been learning about the church and I was
so happy to see someone recognize and act on the good that this gospel
brings! She and I talked after the fireside and she told me she wants
to be baptized a week earlier on July 22nd, her birthday! So very soon
we'll be havin a baptism.

Yesterday was an awesome Father's Day at church, it made me feel
somewhat older than a child when I got a Hershey's bar, yes!! But more
important than that was the spirit I felt there. We talked about
sacrifice in gospel principles (a class for people looking into the
church), not the lamb kind of sacrifice, but more like personal
sacrifice. I read a talk by President Monson this week. In it he
shares a story about a man named Benjamin, I'll share it with you!
"A story written by Karen Nolen, which appeared in the New Era in
1974, tells of a Benjamin Landart who, in 1888, was 15 years old and
an accomplished violinist. Living on a farm in northern Utah with his
mother and seven brothers and sisters was sometimes a challenge to
Benjamin, as he had less time than he would have liked to play his
violin. Occasionally his mother would lock up the violin until he had
his farm chores done, so great was the temptation for Benjamin to play
it.
In late 1892 Benjamin was asked to travel to Salt Lake to audition
for a place with the territorial orchestra. For him, this was a dream
come true. After several weeks of practicing and prayers, he went to
Salt Lake in March of 1893 for the much anticipated audition. When he
heard Benjamin play, the conductor, a Mr. Dean, told Benjamin he was
the most accomplished violinist he had heard west of Denver. He was
told to report to Denver for rehearsals in the fall and learned that
he would be earning enough to keep himself, with some left over to
send home.
A week after Benjamin received the good news, however, his bishop
called him into his office and asked if he couldn’t put off playing
with the orchestra for a couple of years. He told Benjamin that before
he started earning money there was something he owed the Lord. He then
asked Benjamin to accept a mission call.
Benjamin felt that giving up his chance to play in the territorial
orchestra would be almost more than he could bear, but he also knew
what his decision should be. He promised the bishop that if there were
any way to raise the money for him to serve, he would accept the call.
When Benjamin told his mother about the call, she was overjoyed. She
told him that his father had always wanted to serve a mission but had
been killed before that opportunity had come to him. However, when
they discussed the financing of the mission, her face clouded over.
Benjamin told her he would not allow her to sell any more of their
land. She studied his face for a moment and then said, “Ben, there is
a way we can raise the money. This family [has] one thing that is of
great enough value to send you on your mission. You will have to sell
your violin.”
Ten days later, on March 23, 1893, Benjamin wrote in his journal: “I
awoke this morning and took my violin from its case. All day long I
played the music I love. In the evening when the light grew dim and I
could see to play no longer, I placed the instrument in its case. It
will be enough. Tomorrow I leave [for my mission].”
Forty-five years later, on June 23, 1938, Benjamin wrote in his
journal: “The greatest decision I ever made in my life was to give up
something I dearly loved to the God I loved even more. He has never
forgotten me for it.”

As I read this I couldn't help but think of my amazing parents who
have always sacrificed so much for me and my sisters and everyone
around them. I count one of their greatest sacrifices as sending me on
my mission (especially dad, he's surrounded by estrogen so if you have
some spare man time invite Jase Crow haha) but I think when the right
kind of sacrifice is made, blessings are brought about rather than
sadness and hardship. I would also add that sacrifice doesn't feel
like sacrifice when we do it for the right reason and the right
purpose. So many people we talk to look at us like we are giving away
2 years of our lives and losing time we should be having fun with. But
serving a mission to me does not feel one bit like a sacrifice. I add
my testimony to that of Benjamin Landart, "The greatest decision I
ever made in my life was to give up something I dearly loved to the
Hod I loved even more." I know this decisions I'll shape and affect
every moment of my life to come. I love serving my Savior and my
Heavenly Father, I know the gospel I share every day is pure and true,
and nothing would make me question my decision to serve a mission.

I love all y'all so much,
Elder Crow

Happy Sunday June 6

󾓦Happy late Memorial Day everyone 󾓦
God Bless 'Merica as the hillbillies would say. Wow, this week has been so amazingly wonderful and crazy! It has been at least 75 every day this week, it even gets past 80 when it is raining, and we've had so many people to talk to! Thanks to Heavenly Father putting so many people in our path, Elder Parks and I talked to 145 people this week! Most of the people aren't too interested in what we have to say, it makes me so sad that a people who care so much about Christ are so quick to shove us off and judge us for our religion rather than take the time to realize what we are doing. But that's their choice, can't change it. I can only bring a flashlight into this dark world and shine my light wherever I go. It may not be very big, but it's enough. And if we all shine our lights together, then we can really make a difference.

Well the most awesome wonderful part about my week was yesterday. We had a church service called stake conference. It's when a generalized area of LDS congregations meet together for a church service and we hear from a few members of the church. My congregation, or ward, stayed at our building in Corbin because it's too long of a drive to Lexington. And I was reminded that technology is a blessing and a curse!!! The sound and the connection of the church broadcast was pretty terrible and I was afraid it wouldn't go to well, I was especially afraid because Gabby came to church for the first time and I wanted it to be a good experience for her. It ended up being AWESOME!! My mission president, President Brough, and his wife spoke and they are such powerful speakers! After church ended, Gabby looked at me and Elder Parks and told us he knew the church is true!! I was so happy I felt like sprinting a few laps around the church, but I help my cool together. It is so amazing seeing the gospel change people's lives and see the joy it give them, I can truly testify with all my heart and soul that this church is true and that it is lead today by the living Son of God, Jesus Christ!

Sister Brough, President Brough's wife, spoke about standing. That sounds kinda funny but let me explain. In the church, we stand a lot more than we think. We have STANDards that we live by, we STAND up for what we believe in, we STAND up for what is morally good and true, to name a few. So let me add my testimony to standing. There is a scripture that states, "stand ye in holy places, and be not moved". If we are true followers of Jesus Christ, we will "not [be] moved" as we stand for what we know to be true. Growing up in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints I didn't have a lot of members around me, most everyone I knew went to some other church and believed differently than I did. So when it came up that I am a Mormon, I had plenty an opportunity to stand up for my faith and my Savior. Since my youth in Alabama I have came to this conclusion, I will never stop standing up for what is right and what is true. For as long as I live and breathe I will stand, and I invite you to do the same. Never give in! If it takes a cane and pair of braces I will always stand for my Savior Jesus Christ. Each one of us has an unspoken responsibility to STAND up. So stand, do all you can to keep standing; and when you feel like you can't? You are surrounded by those who will help you to keep standing. Jesus Christ will always be the living Son of the living God Almighty, Joseph Smith will always remain the prophet of the restoration, and The Book of Mormon will always be the word of God. I know it. And I know God knows it, and I will not deny it.

God Bless,
Elder Crow