Just before Christmas email!

Hey guys! Happy holidays!  I think this last week was one of the most difficult of my life, but i am grateful for you.  the longings for home are strong, because of the season and because i just plain miss being around people who really love me. The ward here asks me almost everyday when i will be leaving and when the elders will get there. Being a sister can sure be tough, but it will all be okay. Actually. i feel like i have given more than my best much more frequently and it is so empowering. i know heavenly father hears and answers prayers. i know that christ suffered much more than i, and that he knows what i am going through. Dad once told me that satan would be working to bring me down, but that when i feel him the most, i should double my efforts and keep moving forward.  I know that this council was inspired and that it works!  I love the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 121;4 My son, peace be unto thy soul, thine adversities and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment. and then, if thou endure it well, i shall exalt thee on high.

 

I know that i am on the winning team. What a testimony i have gained about the importance of a good attitude and a willing heart. We must Endure to the End.

 

I love you all. i often imagine our cute little house covered in snow, with a shining christmas tree in the window. cozy and warm, filled with the spirit and with love.  I love you all more than you know. Thank you for the great news! Way to gooooooo rowland basketball! keep it up.  I hope you have been good this year so santa clause can come!!!!  Santa claus is coming! Santa claus is coming! Ho ho ho ho ho ho!

 

Let us not forget Joy to the world - the lord is come!  We can recieve redemption from our sins and salvation from death because of our beloved Savior and Redeemer. Jesus the Christ.

 

I love you! xoxoxoxo sister rowland

new years email

Hey guys!!! as the clock struck midnight here i knew that you were all 5 hours behind. I spent these 5 hours reflecting on the great memories we have had as a family. I remembered all of the special people who lived on our streets, and in our wards. I Remembered all of the good years of the restaurant and of our hardships and trials that brought us so close together. I remembered all my years of school, my true friends, and the fun dates and things i did during those special years. I remembered this last year of my life as a missionary. All of the funny moments, all of the tender mercies, all of the prayers answered, all of the precious people who have touched my life.  I counted all of my blessings and then i thought ahead to the future.  I had the impression that this year will be a year full of big decisions and many great changes for our family. as i read Maddy´s email this impression was confirmed. I am so happy and pleased with all of your righteous desires and goals. I am proud of each of your accomplishments over the past year.  The news was always a little delayed but so welcomed! hahaha. I am frankly unsure of what changes life will give me this year. I am anxious to do the lords will, and i trust in him enough now to sacrifice my wishes for his. I know he wants my success and happiness and that he wants this for our family as well. I hope that I can always be worthy of the spirit so i can discern what choices will help me reach my goals and righteous desires. I love the gospel. I love this work. I love you all.

Good luck this week, do your best and the lord will do his best. Thanks for everything. I am so so happy!

xoxoxo sis rowland

email from Ashley

Hey guys, this week was very special. I am humbled to be serving the lord at this time in my life. I know he loves each one of us.

On Thursday we met a girl named Jessica, and we sat and talked with her and her mother about the gospel. They told us of many trials that they have passed through and we talked about hope. Friday we went back and her mom was busy preparing breakfast for Jessica's 2 kids.  That night, we recieved a text message from her and she said that her mother died. It was really sad. No one expected it. She is doing okay but my companion really took it rough.  Saturday, we were teaching a lesson with the most incredible family in the world ... i will tell you about them in a second... and we recieved a phone call that said the Bishops son choked on a grape and had passed away. He has 2 years.  Yesterday we had sacrament meeting and instead of classes we had the funeral. My companion has always had a hard time dealing with the separation; she woke me up each night this week and we moved our beds closer together. poor thing. She is a trooper. 

I love our savior. I felt his presence in the ward this week. I love the gospel. I love my calling.

I think i have decided what i want to do professionally when i get back.

 

So we are teaching an amazing family of 4!  Antonio, Roziane, Beatriz, and Amanda.  THey are absolutely incredible and everyone in the ward loves them. Many people thought they were members who moved into the ward because of the way they live. They sure spoil us, after every lesson they suprize us with a meal completely prepared. haha they are so amazed at the knowledge they have recieved these past few weeks.  I love this family so much.  We took them to meet another family we are teaching and their testimony and love for the gospel is so inspiring. They helped so much.   I sure am excited about the work here. I have so many great stories to tell you when i get back.   

It is very hot here and has rained (or flooded haha) every day. I am trying to develop the gifts of the spirit right now and i feel like i am much more close to the spirit. I feel constant help. It is so neat.   I love each of you deeply. Keep moving forward and keep up the good works! 

 

Love you all!

xoxoxo Ash

Ashley email

how is everybody doing? I just wanted to let you all know that i love you and i had a great week! I hope you are all great. This week lots of great things happened. We are going to have a baptism of 4 very special people! A whole family...who love the gospel with all their hearts.


i was walking down the street and there was a boy who was behind us. he was quiet but i had the feeling to talk to him. so when he passed us by i asked him if he lived close by? he said yes and we talked a little bit about the church. i asked him if he´d like to make a visit and he said yeah, i think i will.my companion was a little sceptical about his reply but i trusted him. well on sunday there he was! Danillo. He was excited to be there even though it was a little new. we talked to him after and he said wow, i really iked church today, i think i´ll come back more times. He looked me in the eyes and said, Sister, thank you for taking the time to invite me the other day. I felt a strong impression that i had followed the spirit and been an instrument in the lords hands.

in the mission, there are many times that things like this happen. it becomes so much a part of who you are as a member or missionary, that it is easy to take it for granted. i know i will feel a difference when it is gone.

i love this work. i love serving others and giving of myself. i have seen the lords hand many times lifting me up, and lifting those i serve. I know that i do not work alone. the spirit and peace testify to me each night in those quiet moments before sleep sets in that i am where i should be. That god loves me and that i am ready for him when he needs me.

What happiness! just wanted to let you all know that i love you. i love this work.



have a great week!!!

Ashley latest email

Hey guys. What a week you all had. I am very happy and proud of each one of you. Dad thanks for your selfless service. I know that the lord is pleased with your sacrifices and hard work.




Our pets heads are falling off hahahahahaha oh my goodness...poor chance. dad your story touched me deeply. I know he is a good ol dog. he´ll make it through.



things are going great here! we are loving our area and our investigators. i love you all so much. write back soon



sister rowland

Dad's email to Ashley

January 26, 2011Hello Ashley

well it has been an emotional day for me. I was released after six years serving in the cottonwood ward bishopric. I can honestly say I feel at peace with my efforts and sevice to the lord. I tried to serve him and did the best I could. I felt this same feeling when I finished my mission, got married in the temple, and other times when I did things the right way, I know you will have that same approval from the lord when you finish your mission and return home. I remember when I first got called to the bishopric, Grandma and Grandpa came down and said you need a suit if your going to be in the bishopric, and they took me to JC Pennys and bought me two new suits I told that story today in my testimony and how Im still trying to live up to their example and teachings in my life. I wore one of grandpa's old ties today in rememberance of him and his effect in my life. I still miss him greatly and love him with all my heart. we had a scare with CHANCE our dog this week, we have all grown very fond of him like with Hogan and Rocky, he is one of us and part of the family, his gash was incredible, how he lived thru it was amazing, he just lays around getting all kinds of special attention from everyone, I was sitting with him yesterday telling him that he had to make it thru this so he could meet you. I told him all about you and he seemed to listen and I think he is excited to meet you soon.it seemed to give him a good reason to fight and pull thru. Logan came home and said I dont know what happening OUR PETS HEADS ARE FALLING OFF, "dumb and dumber" it was funny how he said it. He did really good in his Snow Canyon game 5 three pointers and a lay up for 17 points. he's doing really well. Russ's team is undefeated and he plays point guard and is playing great too. Jesse is knocking down mostly staight A's. they are all doing so good and doing well spiritually. I guess Ty and Leslie are looking to a November wedding. Well I will let someone else email, I love you Ash, We pray For you everyday, and hope you have a successful week, way to go on those baptisms, I wish I could meet them All. tell them I said hello and that the gospel is worth every effort, because of the true joy it will bring into their lives... I love you honey. DAD

email from Oct

Hey guys! sounds like everything is just heaven there!!!


Mom i sure loved the quote that you sent!! I know that it is a fact, because I have seen this in my own life. I am grateful that you can benefit from my good old days from seminary!

I would like a favor - dad or mom, i would like the recipe for the homemade chicken noodle soup and the noodles if you could type it up and email it ASAP that would be awesome!

Tyler, my old companion sister assunção is serving in an area where your old companion served. i dont remember his name, but she said that he said you are an aweome person and that you were zone leaders together!
Hahahaha daddy you are the best....i love you so much and i know that Heavenly father is very proud of the family you have raised. I am proud to be your little girl. I still hope... as i did when i was talking with mommy as a little girl...to marry someone as special as you! Mom - i know you are an elect and special daughter of heavenly father. i know he loves you and prepared you and blessed you greatly because of all of the fabulous and righteous choices you made as a young girl. Nothing is greater than my desire to follow in your footsteps and be the kind of mother you are!


Well Russell!!!! I had a dream about you last night! HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE BROTHER - BEET ROOT ONSTABEE RAT RAT FUSSELL ahhahaa... I hope you still have your little hymn book. Go and read what i wrote to you last year. Know that i feel the same still and that i love you and miss you even more than i did last year!!! I dont have much money, but i will bring you something great. I love you more than anything.


Jesse boy... how the heck was sadies... what did you guys do for the date and what did you dress up like? i remember how great the dances were back in the days. take advantage of every second of high school because it is almost 5 years since i graduated....what the heck, i am an old geezer! but it sure flys by fast!!! Keep your standards and help others live righteously and you wont have any regrets!

Logan - remember that time i picked you up from your basketball game? You were way ticked because your team lost. I tried to cheer you up but it wasnt working. So i asked you "What was the score?' and you said 40 - 15. I said oh thats rough....How many points did you have??? and i remember you looked at me and said

15!!!! hahaha i never laughed so hard. you were so disappointed that your team lost that you forgot to tell me that you made all of the points haha... life is like that sometimes.


I have learned here in the mission the importance of teamwork. Even though sometimes no one else seems to be making baskets, their influence on the court still counts. Somebody gave you a good pass, or blocked one of the advisery. Sometimes people are feeling so crummy about themselves that they dont feel like taking a shot, or doing something new. It can be a real bummer, especially when you set everything up perfectly -to give them a chance to feel the joy that comes from a "SWISH" But the thing is you have got to do is give others the opportunity, set things up for them again and again, because what matters isnt if they make the basket or not, it is if they feel confident in themselves enough to make a good decision. SHOOT IT! as dad always said from the sidelines... Keep moving forward...as you say.

I know that the saying is true about you can never make a basket if you dont shoot it. and you get better with each hit or miss. you learn, you grow, and you become grateful for those special people as you think back, who unselfishly gave you the chance of a lifetime. Who set things up for YOUR BENEFIT. -and i know that as you are the one who sets good things up for others, that your skills and talents are sharpened as well!

That is my basketball talk for the day and even though i never liked playing bball - i sure learned a lot from watching you guys all those years! Thanks so much for your dedication and love guys!!!