BUGS and SUNSHINE

Hello everyone, BUGS and SUNSHINE
I hope and pray that all of you are doing great and that you are getting the same sunshine we are down her in the good 'ol Appalachian foothills! It is absolutely gorgeous, especially down at the hike we were on! There were birds singing, sunshine poking through the trees, there was no one but us at the waterfall, we had a ton of fund hiking around, all around just a good day! This week could've been better but how can I complain, I get to represent Jesus Christ 24/7 and everyone knows it! Definitely got the best job in the whole world!

We have been talking with a TON of people this week and as a missionary I want every person we talk to to be super nice and willing to listen to us but it's almost never that way haha. Especially this week we've just been finding a bunch of mean nasty hillbillies who think they know way more about Jesus than we do and they just tell us to get lost. It is definitely trying as a missionary to keep your cool and just smile at these people rather than just rip 'em to shreds and get angry. Every situation we seem to face, I would've reacted so differently at home; but out here, it's not that I HAVE to be nice to everyone, I could be a complete jerk. But it's the fact that I choose to be nice, I choose to keep a smile on and tell everyone "God bless ya, hope you have a great day!" Everyday we have choices placed before us, sometimes it's just left or right.

But sometimes it's left, right, upside down, walking handstand backwards, the choices seem to never end. But we need never be afraid of which choice is the right choice, it may at times seem like there is no right choice, but the path we should follow should always invite us to do more, to be more. To be more loving, more patient, more humble, really the path we should take should invite us to be more like Christ. I've found so much joy in not only my own growth and changing, but in helping others to change and be more like Jesus Christ. There is no doubt in my mind that we will find a brighter light of joy and happiness in our lives as we choose to follow the Savior and in doing so, helping others to come closer to Christ. Oh how much better the world would be if the Savior was the focus of every family and individual! He is our exemplar, our teacher, our Redeemer, He is the hope we have for more joy in this life. Look for a way this week to bring yourself and others closer to the Savior of the world, it isn't hard unless you make it hard.

Much love,
Elder Crow

Elder Parks and Elder Crow at Dogslaughter falls, pondering the words of Christ

Elder Crow at Dogslaughter falls with a craze face

Elder Crow at Dogslaughter falls,  Right before the hike, my shirt says I'm just here for the bacon. And I am rocking the socks the Lougee family gave me

Elder Crow at Dogslaughter falls

2016 April 25 Elder Crow on bike contraption with Honda motor in it, London, KY

2016 April 25 Elder Crow went to Liberty, Kentucky with another missionary and we pulled into this driveway and found a huge pile of flattened cans

2016 April 25 Louisville Kentucky LDS temple

2016 April 25 This is Joseph, he came hiking with us and he has just started coming back to church, Elder Crow in the red shirt

2016 March 7, Working in the RAIN

I'm still typing up emails but we are about to head out to hike at
Cumberland falls!! So I will send out my other emails in a few hours,
just wanted to send off a few pictures. It down poured this week in
London, it was absolutely nuts!! But it was a fun bike ride and we are
working real hard to find people to teach, rain or shine. But I was
called to serve in Kentucky, and no where in my call letter did it say
I was called to serve only when it's bright and shiny, when there are
tons of people to talk to, and when I'm feeling great; I am called to
serve, and that means "at all times, in all things, and in all places
that I may be in".

Love you all so much 😘
Much love,
Elder Crow

Dear everyone,
I'm sorry I'm getting this off so late but I just got back from a
missionary P-Day adventure (we had 8 missionaries on this adventurous
trip) near Cumberland Falls. We went down near Laurel Lake and our
ward mission leader (the man called to help us missionaries in our
congregation) and he took us geocaching!! It was super fun, we had to
go on this super long hike and we climbed up a small cliff to find the
geocache; it's just a small container with goodies and it has a list
you sign your name on. Then we went hiking near Cumberland Falls, I
have some pictures below and it was absolutely gorgeous! We had an
awesome time scaling rocks, exploring caves and just walking along and
enjoying the 70 something degree weather! On the way back we were a
bit surprised by a strange sight...other missionaries!!! We met 2
sisters from the Nashville Tennessee mission and it was the weirdest
thing ever seeing 2 other missionaries walking towards you, kinda got
a "bird's eye view"😂😂 of what people see when they see 2 kids with
tags walking towards them.

The rest of this week was up and down, it took a lot of hard work to
get through it but it was soooo worth it! When you boil it down, being
productive makes a huge difference; I think true hard work put to the
test will always be hard work no matter the circumstances. And it
gives us something to do! If I were just a missionary a few days a
week and I was just a normal kid the rest of the time, it wouldn't be
the same. It is so gratifying to know that EVERY SINGLE DAY is 8 hours
of sleep and 16 hours of good, hard work!!! Another blessing of work
is something I remember my amazing father sharing with me, he would
always tell me, "Idleness is a tool of the devil." (Your lessons
didn't go to waste dad). I couldn't agree more. Satan can manipulate
our thoughts and sneak in a temptation or 2 when we are doing nothing.
Keeping busy keeps our mind focused on what we are doing and builds up
another wall of defense against the attacks of the adversary. I would
especially encourage those of you reading this who are usually home
alone and are close to my age to heed this warning, if you aren't
staying busy you can be assured that Satan is doing everything he
possibly can to get you to do something you shouldn't. I've heard it
described like a stage; you can only have 1 act going on at a time, so
if you are occupying that stage with good thoughts and something to
do, then you have nothing to worry about. Do not let Satan push your
actor off of the stage with one of his own degrading and destructive
ideas.

But if Satan has worked his way into your heart or your mind, get him
out. Now. If you do not act immediately to get rid of the seeds he has
planted in your mind, then the ugly weeds and thorns of sin and lust
will take root and it will make it very hard to get rid of. I promise
that, even if you have messed up and done something you shouldn't
have, our loving Savior is still waiting with arms open wide to help
you get back on the rig track. He loved us enough to bleed and suffer
for every wrong and mistake we have made, so make sure you aren't
letting his sacrifice go to waste. There is nothing we can do that
Christ doesn't want to help us overcome, I can personally testify of
that.

Well I gotta head out, have a great week everyone!
Much love,
Elder Crow

Elder Crow saw the UK football field on the way to zone conference in Lexington, KY

Elder Crow and Elder Parks soaked from the rain London, KY March 1 2016

Elder Riphenburg with Elder Crow with a member's Great Dane, Magic

2016 March  Elder Crow exploring Cumberland Falls, the 2nd largest waterfall east of the Mississippi

2016 March Elder Crow found a rebel flag tribute on a HUGE rock while exploring Cumberland Falls