August 8, 2016 We Never Walk Alone

Dear Everyone,

This week has been a rough one! The rain has been coming and it makes it really hard to talk to everyone when there is 1)No one else in the rain but you and 2)When you get hit in the eyeballs 511 times by the knives we call raindrops!! But all is well, we're gonna make this week even better! Well, this week took a huge shift when we had Facebook brought to our mission! It turns out we are 1 of 15 missions that has it, but we are 1 of 5 that are getting monitored for it. It's pretty neat, it feels awesome sharing the gospel and uplifting messages in another way! I never expected to have this tool on my mission, but Heavenly Father has obviously given it to us for a  reason and I'll let you know when I find out what it is haha! Do you wanna hear a funny Elder Crow story? Well I'll tell ya one! I have now been on my mission for a little over a year and you'd think I have everything in working order, but I don't. Especially when it comes to my coordination. Now I'd like to blame this on my messed up head, but I'm not sure that I can. So I was reading some scriptures on my ipad and I got myself some cocoa pebble knockoff cereal for breakfast. I kept reading as I walked towards our study table (with my head down). I placed my cereal on the table and went to sit down in my chair...and I missed! I don't know how you miss a chair but I managed to do it!!!

So as I was struggling to stay positive this week, I read a talk by President Thomas S. Monson called "We Never Walk Alone". And as I read this passage stuck out to me, “That love never changes. … It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God’s love is therefor you whether or not you feel you deserve [it]. It is simply always there.” Please do not ever doubt whether or not God loves you. During personal studies today I had a realization: ever since the beginning of time, Satan's goal has been for us to be as miserable and unhappy as he is. In the garden of eden, he did that by tempting Eve to eat the forbidden fruit so she would have to be separated from the presence of God. After Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden, they had left God's presence, for a  short while they probably felt alone and unloved. But then God forgave them and I'm sure they again felt the Spirit and the love of God. Now since then, Satan has had time to practice. His main goal is to make you feel unhappy, so he will do everything he can to make you feel like that. The greatest lie the devil has, can, and will ever tell you is that Heavenly Father does not love you. DO NOT BELIEVE HIM! As we learn in the Bible, "God is love" and, from the Book of Mormon, God "is the same yesterday, today, and forever." Forever means forever people, so God will ALWAYS love you! One thing you can never change is the fact that you are a child of God. While that may never change you can easily forget it. So I plead with you, if you ever feel alone and unloved, get on your knees and say a prayer to the being who loves you most of all. I promise you He will bless you with a feeling that will ease your burdens and take away your pains.

Have a great week y'all,

Elder Crow

August 1, 2016 Smile, you're a child of God

Dear Everyone,

I had a good week.

Elder Crow

Just kidding!! Boy this week was absolutely nuts!! I had to do some trainings on online proselyting because on Friday the GKLM gets Facebook! So if you want some daily spiritual food hit me up at Elder Zachary Crow 😁!! The even weirder thing about this Friday? I will have been a full-time missionary for 1 year!!!!! The days are flying by (like a Crow) and I don't like it! I'm honestly not the sharpest tool in the shed (concussions don't help) but I could not have made a better decision. If there ever where a time I could actually call myself smart it would be right now. Because I couldn't have made a better decision than to serve my Savior and my Heavenly Father for these 2 years! You wanna see a bright fella you go find a Mormon missionary, they're making the best sacrifice a man/woman could make. And it's worth every, single, day.

Anyways, enough about this teeny fried chicken in the whole KFC, on to bigger and better realizations! So honestly, this week has been pretty rough haha! We are struggling to find someone to teach and we're running into a lot of people who think we are idiots and they are gonna teach us right from wrong. I really don't appreciate people who tell me I'm wrong, I really don't respond too well! And as I was studying this morning, I remembered something a convert to the church said concerning all of Christianity, "Guys, we believe that a virgin had a baby without having sex, that's crazy! We believe that baby was actually the Son of God and he raised people from the dead, walked on water, and paid for all of our sins...that's weird! So why is it so weird that we believe that Joseph Smith talked to God and Jesus, restored the original church of Jesus Christ, and translated a new book of scripture?" That put a smile on my face and reminded me that I don't have to care about what anyone else says, because people are depressing and rude! But there's still a ton of awesome people out there, and I meet a few of 'em every day!

So on to the title of my email! Like I said, this week was kinda rough, and during my personal studies I was trying to find some peace and comfort from the scriptures. Instead, I found it in the Spirit. I was reading in John and read over this awesome scripture in chapter 14:27: " 27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it beafraid." When I read that I just felt like every burden on my back was gone, everything was ok, and I just felt so happy! Then, for some reason, I remembered the little phrase "Smile, you're on candid!" and I thought of a different one, "Smile, you're a child of God!" So mine is obviously better. Well, that's all I've got this week, God bless and have a good one!

Much love,

Elder Crow