Dear Tyler and Ashley Two weeks ago I conducted and bore my testimony about how blessed I am and how the lord has blessed me with a great family. I talked about how when I was a kid me Rob and my friends Jeff and John had decided to hike the mountain in front of our house, from the front yard we could see this rock at the top of this mountain and decided the next morning to hike to it, we started out early and hiked most of the day, it was steep and hard going in places and we thought about turning back several times, but as we kept going the rock at the top got closer and closer so we pushed on, finally we arrived at this rock, we were so high on the mountain you could see all over the Salt Lake valley, it was awesome to look back and see where our journey had started, and how far we had come. but as we climbed on top of this rock we were sorley disappointed, we realized we had not even scratched the surface of this mountain, that it continued on and on for miles and miles of more and more steep terain. it looked to us that it would take weeks to climb to what looked from our view the true top of this mountain. we are all climbing this gospel mountain in this life hoping to find the top, sometimes we hike and the climbing is steep and hard only to find we have a lot further to go.I love you both so much for the hike you are on with your lives, I know you are both well on your way to the top of a great mountain and you will reach the top because of your faithfulness and persistence. all of us will get there someday, it does get hard and rocky at times and you do feel like turning back, but we must not, we must enjoy the hike and take time to look back and see how far we have come and say well done! and then keep moving upward and on ward.I love my life with my kids and your Mom, I hope your enjoying this part of your mountain and that your giving it all you have. so at the end of it you can look back and see you truly have done something awesome. I love you guy's so very very much, I hope you have a wonderful week full of challenges and blessings, you can do it, and do it well. I love you. Dad....

When an individual is motivated by great and powerful convictions of truth, then he disciplines himselft, not because of demands made by the church but because of the knowledge within his heart

Of myself I am nothing and cannot do much of anything , but with the help of family , friends and especially God , I can do Anything

Anthing Positive is Better than Anything Negative

Sister Rowland She is Here!

Ashley's Misson President and his Wife emailed us!
" We are so excited to have Sister Rowland with us. She has an infectious smile and personality, does not hesitate to speak Portuguese, and will convert many with her genuine Love for others, her unabashed testimony, enthusiasm and sheer will power! She is a dynamo - we already can tell that she will be a powerful, positive influence in our mission.

Sister Rowland's arrival in brazil! ...FINALLY :)

Some pictures taken of Sister Rowland, President and Sister Jackson, and her companion Sister Hulse, from Kaysville Utah who also has a little brother serving in Brazil. Ashley's and Tyler's mission Presidents were companions in Porto Alegre South misson together way back in the day.

Sister Rowland Christmas Wish!

Today Ashley got to call and say that her VISA came, and she is flying to her Mission in Brazil in the Morning at 6 am  !  Yeah!   The address for the Brazil MTC is incorrect she will be going directly to her mission so I will post a new address as soon as I have it.

Hey Dad
  This will be the last email that i will be sending you guys before Christmas. So i just wanted to let you guys know that i love you and that i am sure loving this journey. Its not easy at all. But it is where i want to be. I will be calling you guys, to set up an hour that you can call me this Christmas . Just in case you don't have the number to call to me from there you need to dial...  0-11-55-51-_ _ _ _ - _ _ _ _  and then 8 other numbers of the house number that should appear on the caller ID ...  At the end of the number that i will call to you guys . I will explain a little bit more . I hope to catch someone At home. ! But if not i will just try a little bit later . I had a great week dad, and im learning a lot. I have longed to hear your voices again. I Think it will help me a lot to hear you guys . Not that im sad or anything like that , but i know that it will help me. I love you guys so much. Thanks for everything dad
  Love Elder Rowland

Sister Rowland All I want for Christmas....

Hey Family!!!! How are you! I hope all is well with everyone! I don't have a lot of time, but I just wanted to let you know that this week was AWESOME> Still no news with the Visa situation. Come to find out my field entrance date was December 7th so i'm already loosing some field time. All is well though. All i want for christmas is my visa!!!! hahahaha. Keep praying and i know it will come!
Sounds like you have all had quite an eventful few weeks. I am so glad you are my family!!! I love you so much. I was able to listen to Claudio R.M. Costa of the seventy and his talk was so inspiring!!! I may even copy the notes and send them your way. He is from brazil and he talked about his conversion story and the role the missionaries had in his life. It was way cool. he's my new favorite seventy! hehe. Well lets see, Portuguese is coming a long. I think i am going to send my memory card home for christmas with the new pictures. I recorded myself giving my testimony and singing happy birthday to mom!!! It would be fun for you to see it. By the way HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!! I love you so much. I hope you have the best day ever sunday! Sorry for all the typos..we just got back from the health clinic for my companion and my hands are frozen. She has had a really rough week. I sent a tape telling the whole ordeal so look for it tomorrow!!! Hope all is well. I miss you a lot! I have been reminicing about all the memories we've had around the Christmas season! So many wonderful joy-filled memories! You are the greatest parents, and I'm so thankful we weren't spoiled little snot nosed brats hahahaha "i'm not a snot-nosed brat!" Man, good movies, good times, GREAT FOOD, i miss wheat bread! mmmmm all i want for christmas is a loaf of wheat bread!!! and a bottle of honey!!! and a knife to cut it! Mmmmmmmmm... I've had a stomach infection and all i've been able to eat the past 3 days is watered down gatorade. I'm back to normal tomorrow!!! Real food is so good. Health is such a blessing! I love you all so deeply. Hope all is well. Tell other family that they can send me love notes on www.dearelder.com i think all they need is my mission and mailbox number so pass it on #307. Only while i'm in the mtc though. But letters and notes are the best!

Gotta go! Tchau
Um grande abraco (a great big hug)
Muito beijinos (many little kisses!)
Xoxoxoxoxoxoxox
-sister rowland

Sister Rowland's latest email

Hey fam! I love you all so much! this week was a trial but was incredible. I had so many neat experiences this week. I learned that 4 visas came through so there is hope and a good chance i will go to the field in brazil on time! Also, there are near 300 missionaries who are here and not in brazil. the brazilian MTC Teachers have nothing to do. The church is going to have them teach us as companionships through the web-chat program skype. We'll use webcams and can have class with Brazilian teachers. It is so cool! What a blessing!! I am really excited. We had a really good lesson a couple days ago about being unconditional missionaries. There are many who are complaining about teachers, situation here, ect and I am glad to say that I haven't participated. But it was a great lesson. So many missionaries needed to hear it. The whole atmosphere in classes and around the mtc has been way more positive. I also had the chance to talk to a man on the phone and told him how much i love the book of mormon and how much the gospel has blessed our family. I told him how we are so close and care so much about each other. I hope the gospel can bring his family as much happiness as we share. I love this place, this experience, the people i've met and the blessings i've recieved. I love each of you. I hope that you all are doing good. Ty's such a great example to me! Man i'm lucky!!!
Love you all! Sister Ash
xoxoxoxo