Elder Crow four months put on Saturday 11/30/15

Dear people of the Elder Crow group email,
I am terribly sorry for getting this out so late, didn't have any wifi and we were really busy today! I guess I'll talk about my Thanksgiving this past Thursday. We had 2 dinner appointments back to back, we could've had more but we don't want too much food haha. Wait a minute did I just say that, wow missions really do change you! Haha anyways, we went frisbee golfing, or frolfing, with a member and it actually turned out to be pretty fun! He even gave me a disc to keep so that's pretty cool. The rest of my day consisted of eating food and talking to member since we don't do normal missionary work on days like Thanksgiving. We stayed at one member's home for s while and played card games while eating their food, that's missionaries for ya. They come, they eat, they leave you with a spiritual thought. But I think I really was reminded of the immense gratitude  I have for my amazing family. Seeing the love and the care that all of these members have for their families is truly touching and I can't thank my Heavenly Father enough for what He has given me. He gave me the coolest dad in the world! One who cares for me and loves me more than I probably know; someone who always seemed to be there when I needed him and someone who raised me better than I'll probably do with my kids; he's shown me what it truly means to love and share it with others. God gave me his most caring and loving daughter to be my rock and my mother upon this earth. She showed me love and always looked after me even when I probably didn't deserve it and she instilled in me an example of serving others. Each and every one of my sisters gave me patience. That is all. Haha just kidding I care for each one of them and I hope they know I pray for each of them every night. I wish I could still be there to be their protector and spend time with them but I know that Heavenly Father is watching out for them. 

I testify that our Father in Heaven watches out for us and gives us blessing throughout our lives. We as humans don't usually take the time to recognize them because we expect these huge noticeable miracles in our lives. But that is not how God works. When we take the time to slow down, shut your mouth, and look around us it is so incredibly easy to see the hand of God in our lives. Heavenly Father knows exactly what to do in our lives to lift us up and help us through our trials. The atonement of Jesus Christ is perfectly fitted to each of His children, we are NEVER alone. I have seen lives changed in the little time I have been serving the Lord and I pray that Heavenly Father will continue to use me as His servant to bless those around me. There is a poem/story that I will share that perfectly explains it. As a servant of the Lord and a representative of Jesus Christ, I testify to you that He love YOU! No matter what you may think, He does! It is by grace we are saved AFTER all we can do. So whenever you think He's not there, open your eyes and watch he mercy of Christ work wonders. I can say that He has wrought a change in my heart and I know that I can always remember who I am. I am a Son of God. I love you all, count your blessings whenever you think there are none in your life.

Much love, 

Elder Crow

After All We Can Do By Robbie Pierce

I had been in that hole for a very long time—

In the dark and the damp, in the cold and the slime.

The shaft was above me; I saw it quite clear,

But there’s no way I ever could reach it from here.

I could not remember the world way up there,

So I lost every hope and gave in to despair.

I knew nothing but darkness, the floor, and the wall.

Then from off in the distance I heard someone call:

“Get up! Get ready! There’s nothing the matter!

Take rocks and take sticks and build up a fine ladder!”

This was a thought that had not crossed my mind,

But I started to stack all the stones I could find.

When I ran out of stones, then old sticks were my goal,

For some way or another I’d climb from that hole.

I soon had a ladder that stood very tall,

And I thought, “I’ll soon leave this place once and for all!”

I climbed up my ladder, a difficult chore,

For from lifting those boulders, my shoulders were sore.

I climbed up the ladder, but soon had to stop,

For my ladder stopped short, some ten feet from the top.

I went back down my ladder and felt all around,

But there were no more boulders nor sticks to be found.

I sat down in the darkness and started to cry.

I’d done all I could do and I gave my best try.

But in spite of my work, in this hole I must die.

And all I could do was to sit and think, “Why?”

Was my ladder to short? Was my hole much too deep?

Then from way up on high came a voice: “Do not weep.”

And then faith, hope, and love entered into my chest

As the voice calmly told me that I’d done my best.

He said, “You have worked hard, and your labor’s been rough,

But the ladder you’ve built is at last tall enough.

So do not despair; there is reason to hope,

Just climb up your ladder; I’ll throw down my rope.”

I climbed up my ladder, then climbed up the cord.

When I got to the top of it, there stood the Lord.

I’ve never been happier; my struggle was done.

I blinked in the brightness that came from the Son.

I fell to the ground as His feet I did kiss.

I cried, “Lord, can I ever repay Thee for this?”

He looked all about. There were holes in the ground.

They had people inside, and were seen all around.

There were thousands of holes that were damp, dark and deep.

Then the Lord looked at me, and He said, “Feed My sheep.”

And he went on his way to save other lost souls,

So I got right to work, calling down to the holes,

“Get up! Get ready! There is nothing the matter!

Take rocks, and take sticks, and build up a fine ladder!”

It now was my calling to spread the good word,

The most glorious message that man ever heard:

That there’s one who is coming to save one and all,

And we need to be ready when he gives the call.

He’ll pull us all out of the holes that we’re in

And save all our souls from cold death and from sin.

So do not lose faith; there is reason to hope:

Just climb up your ladder; he’ll throw down his rope.

Buzz cut

Learning 11/23/15

Friends, family, frenemies, Star Wars fans, other missionaries and the
rest of you peoples,
It's wonderful to be able to write to all of you once again. I was
told that my group email from last week didn't send out and I was
pretty upset because I thought I sent it out that night. Anyways I
hope you all get this one. From the subject of my email, you can
pretty easily tell that this week has included a lot of learning for
me. Elder Haws is probably one of the most hardworking missionaries in
the GKLM and he's taught me so much! We have talked to well over 140
people for 2 weeks straight and it feels so good to know that I am
doing everything I can to find those people who are ready to hear the
gospel of Jesus Christ. The beginning of this last week was a bit
rough, we weren't teaching anyone and I didn't feel like I was being
the best missionary I could be. So on Tuesday, I read about Alma and
Amulek in the Book of Mormon and I remembered that I can find the
greatest joy possible by recognizing that Heavenly Father has a divine
role for me upon this earth and I am fulfilling that role by being a
missionary. I got down on my knees during personal studies and poured
out my heart to God. I asked Him to help me remember my divine
identity, a son of God, and remember that I won't teach as many
lessons or have as many investigators as I always would like to, but I
can know that Jesus Christ and the Lord are proud of my decision to
serve these people and I am doing everything I can to serve to the
best of my ability. I felt the spirit pierce my heart and I just say
down and cried (only a little bit) and thanked my Heavenly Father for
reminding me that I'm not a perfect missionary or a perfect member of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints but all that is asked
of me is to try my best.

During this time of gratitude and thanksgiving, let us always remember
what He has given us. I cannot begin to count all of my blessings. I
have the most amazing family with the 4 most gorgeous sisters and the
most amazing parents upon the face of the earth. I get to wear the
name "Jesus Christ" over my heart every day and spread His light
throughout this increasingly dark world. I have been blessed to be a
member of this church and to continue to learn and grow through the
example of the Only Begotten of the Father. I can remember that I am a
son of God and He loves me.

I think so many of us, myself included, forget who we are. We are sons
and daughters of God and that one simple fact will never change in all
eternity! He will always love us and He will always care for us. He
rejoices when we follow His example and He weeps with us when we make
mistakes. We can know our Heavenly Father loves us when we are making
every effort to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be bright
examples to those who don't have the knowledge of this gospel. This
church has brought me so much joy and so much happiness and I wouldn't
trade it for ANYTHING!! I can't imagine where I would be or where my
family would be if we did t have this gospel in our lives. Whenever
you forget who you are and why on earth God put you where you are,
remember who you are. We can get down on our knees and pray any time
of the day and Heavenly Father will always answer sincere, faithful
prayers. I testify that He lives. He lives and He continues to guide
His children through the thick and the think of it all. Being a
missionary is so hard, emotionally, physically and spiritually. But
this is by far the greatest decision I have yet made in my life. I
love my Lord and savior and I know He watches over me and my family,
even though we are so far apart. I have learned very quickly that true
disciples of Christ CHOOSE to follow Him and LOOK for opportunities to
represent Him wherever they may be. There is so much more to be gained
in spreading the light and joy we have within us to others. During
this Thanksgiving week please take time to recognize the countless
blessings God bestows upon us all. If we take the time to forget about
ourselves and put on a smile, then the light will chase away the dark
and we will find the joy that comes from following the one and only
son of God. I love you all, thank you so much for caring about me to
listen to me ramble on. Put on the whole armor of God, take up your
cross, and keep the faith. I can't imagine being anywhere else in the
world, is is the greatest blessing in my life right now to forget
myself for 2 years and serve those around me as Christ would.

Much love,
Elder Crow


There is a member who makes rolls filled with beans or Japanese candy,
I haven't figured out which one it is but they're super good


This was us waiting for the other elders to take us to district meeting
Much love,
Elder Crow

Made me think of you Rebekah


Confederate flag and the Kentucky flag



This was the sunset on Wednesday evening and it was amazing! And I contactedthat lady walking by in very broken 
Spanish!



This was us biking in some of the worst rain and wind I've ever been in, around 20 degrees...

I put the pictures Rachel and Leah sent me on the wall by my bed

Pictures!! New Companion 11/16/15

This is Elder Haws my new companion! He's a super funny, incredibly

hardworking missionary adopted in Idaho from Ethiopia! We tried box
jumping our kitchen counter...

And this is us trying to hula hoop at the Beltran home before dinner. The little girl who is 

killing it is 7-year-old Sariah, she's sassy!

Brimmel Family and handshake 11/09/15

\

And this is the Brimhall family, our favorite family!!! They are the funniest people ever and I love 'em so much!

This is my boy Ashton Harper, he's such an awesome kid and now I use the handshake that Taylor Stowers and I came up with and it's our handshake for now!


Comments:

That kid sounds crazier than Taylor! :) Keep letting 'em know whatchu workin' with :) 

Sis. Stowers

"Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world ... " Ether 12:4

3 months and no training 11/9/15

So as you can all tell from the email subject, I am no longer a new
missionary! 3 months feel like an eternity, but at the same time I
still have a long time to go. Which is a good thing, I'm so grateful I
still have so much time to serve the Lord! Wow, well not a whole lot
happened until Friday. We had zone meeting in E-Town and zone meetings
are always a spiritual experience I love 'em! The zone leaders trained
on working with members and role playing with them so they can know
how to invite their friends to meet with the missionaries or come to
church or something like that. Then we had 2 other trainings on
sharing the gospel simply and setting good goals. It amazes me how the
Lord seems to customize the revelation we receive through
the spirit!

Well, not a whole lot else happened. I went on an exchange with Elder
Kovalov on Friday. He's from Ukraine and he has an accent, it's the
coolest thing ever! We always make jokes about Russia and he'll
threaten you with some KGB stuff if you don't listen to him, he's
funny

On Saturday, we got transfer calls. Elder Koenig is getting
transferred and I am staying in E-Town! I have no idea who my new
companion is, but I can't wait to meet him! So the last couple days
have been goodbyes and a lot of dinner appointments, I have 4
tonight!!! Ahhhhh I'm fat! But I love the members here, they're so
awesome!

I can personally testify that this is the one true church of Jesus
Christ. I count my blessings everyday that I spread this gospel and
care for my brothers and sisters. I don't always feel like I am doing
my best for Him, but I know without a doubt that I do try everyday to
be better than I was the day before. Sometimes it feels like we are
trapped in the darkness of life with no way out, but there is always
light. We just have to take off the blindfold that's been covering our
eyes and we will see the glory and love of Christ in everything we do.
He. Is. The way. All He asks is that we turn to Him and allow Him to
guide us where we need to be going. I love you all and I thank you for
your support. God loves you and so do I. Don't you ever forget it!

Much love,
Elder Crow


Got blueberries on my shirt when I tried to make blueberry bread




This is the Harper family, they played phase 10 and spot it with Elder Koenig and me when we came over to say goodbyes for Elder Koeing. I love this
family so much!

 
This is the Harper family, they have us cookies and we played card games for Elder Koenig goodbye

 
And his is Tyson Harper, the goofiest kid on the face of he planet. He reminds me of my sister Leah!

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