Brother Vai Sikahema was the devotional speaker
on Sunday August 18, 2013
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Just in...Update!
Hallo Familie!
I'm sorry I didn't send an email off last week. Last p-day was crazy busy!
The temple re-opened, and we were in a scramble to get everything done so that we could do a session and still make it to choir practice. I absolutely love the new endowment video! You all know that I'm a sucker for high definition movies. Haha The Provo Temple is SO beautiful! Elder Richard G. Scott was the speaker at the Tuesday Night Devotional last week. It was so good! I love listening to the prophets of God! This last Sunday Night Devotional was by Brother Vai Sikahema (I don't know if you know who that is or not). He played football at BYU in the 80s with my companions dad. He actually mentioned my companion in his talk. He had a powerful message. He helped us understand that we need to seize every opportunity we can to tell/teach others about the church. That goes for regular members too (that means you guys, haha). I found out that Brother Sikahema was pretty much like an uncle to my companion, so after he spoke we went to a back room to talk with him. There's a picture of us with him on the camera I'm sending back to you. It's crazy to think that Elder Leavitt and Elder Austin have already left the MTC! I feel like they just got here! I know that they are going to be wonderful missionaries, though! Elder Bosco and I are getting better at teaching with each other. Our most recent lesson yesterday went fantastically well! It's so cool that after just a month we can meet with an "investigator," talk with them, answer their questions, and give them a full 15 to 20 minute lesson. Completely in Dutch!! And without reading anything! Recently I have completely memorized our purpose, the first vision, Moses 1:39, and Moroni 10: 3-5 all in Dutch! The Lord truly does bless us with the gift of tongues if we are righteous and obedient. I forgot to mention that it also helps that Elder Richard G. Scott gave all the foreign missionaries at the MTC an apostolic blessing of the gift of tongues...TWICE. It was so powerful. Tomorrow our entire district has been requested to be hosts for the new missionaries. That'll be fun! And sometime this week we are supposed to receive our travel plans!!! I can't wait! I want to go to the Netherlands so bad! Thanks to everyone who has supported me and sent me letters!! Send me more! Haha I love to see what's happening in everyone's lives and in the world! Aunt Niecia, I don't know if I can really help teach you Dutch, but here's my testimony for all to enjoy!
The temple re-opened, and we were in a scramble to get everything done so that we could do a session and still make it to choir practice. I absolutely love the new endowment video! You all know that I'm a sucker for high definition movies. Haha The Provo Temple is SO beautiful! Elder Richard G. Scott was the speaker at the Tuesday Night Devotional last week. It was so good! I love listening to the prophets of God! This last Sunday Night Devotional was by Brother Vai Sikahema (I don't know if you know who that is or not). He played football at BYU in the 80s with my companions dad. He actually mentioned my companion in his talk. He had a powerful message. He helped us understand that we need to seize every opportunity we can to tell/teach others about the church. That goes for regular members too (that means you guys, haha). I found out that Brother Sikahema was pretty much like an uncle to my companion, so after he spoke we went to a back room to talk with him. There's a picture of us with him on the camera I'm sending back to you. It's crazy to think that Elder Leavitt and Elder Austin have already left the MTC! I feel like they just got here! I know that they are going to be wonderful missionaries, though! Elder Bosco and I are getting better at teaching with each other. Our most recent lesson yesterday went fantastically well! It's so cool that after just a month we can meet with an "investigator," talk with them, answer their questions, and give them a full 15 to 20 minute lesson. Completely in Dutch!! And without reading anything! Recently I have completely memorized our purpose, the first vision, Moses 1:39, and Moroni 10: 3-5 all in Dutch! The Lord truly does bless us with the gift of tongues if we are righteous and obedient. I forgot to mention that it also helps that Elder Richard G. Scott gave all the foreign missionaries at the MTC an apostolic blessing of the gift of tongues...TWICE. It was so powerful. Tomorrow our entire district has been requested to be hosts for the new missionaries. That'll be fun! And sometime this week we are supposed to receive our travel plans!!! I can't wait! I want to go to the Netherlands so bad! Thanks to everyone who has supported me and sent me letters!! Send me more! Haha I love to see what's happening in everyone's lives and in the world! Aunt Niecia, I don't know if I can really help teach you Dutch, but here's my testimony for all to enjoy!
Ik wil mijn getuigenis met Jullie delen. Ik weet dat God is onze Hemelse Vader. Wij zijn zijn kinderen. Hij houdt van ons. Gods zoon, Jezus Christus, voor ons is gestorven. Ik weet dat door Joseph Smith, God hersteld zijn waar kerk op de aarde. Ik weet dat het Boek van Mormon is het woordt van God, en als wij het lezen, kunnen wij openbaren door de Heilge Geest krijgen. Ik weet dat Thomas S. Monson is een waar profeet van God, en dat hij zijn kerk in dit tijd leidt. Ik zeg deze dingen in de naam van Jezus Christus. Amen.
Ik houd van Jullie! Tot ziens!
Elder Fowkes! :)
I LOVE YOU ALL!! :)
Friday, August 16, 2013
Friends and Elders Spanning the Globe..
The Four Musketeers!
Elder Austin, Elder Leavitt, Elder Fowkes, Elder Whitehead
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
A Familiar Face!
Elder Whitehead and I! This was his first day here!
He's staying on the floor above me.
Some Details...
Sorry you haven't received much from me yet. I have just been super busy. Tuesdays are my p-days, so that's why it took a while for you to get my first reply. I know I can write during the week but it is very difficult to find time. I'm constantly learning and studying. Any spare time I have I usually use to practice my Dutch. Ok, so now for some details. My companion, Elder Bosco, is Robbie Bosco's son. He gets that a lot. In my district are Elder Besendorfer (our District Leader) and Elder Womeldorf, Elder Losee and Elder Bean, Elder Sudweeks and Elder Elkins, and Elder Peterson and Elder Lindstrom. Everyone is 18 except for Elder Lindstrom who is 19. Elder Lindstrom is cool because he has all of the same interests as me! Our entire district is the best best. We have so much fun and have bonded very well. Elder Losee and I see each other more here at the MTC than we did at home. Except for the eight hours when we are asleep we pretty much see each other every second of everyday. In fact, he's sitting next to me right now. Our teachers are Brother Van de Graf, Brother Klippel, and Brother Wells. They are all amazing. It's crazy how much Dutch we have already learned. I've probably learned more Dutch in two weeks, then I learned German in three years. I can say complete prayers in Dutch, bear my testimony in Dutch, and teach quite a bit of the first couple of lessons in Dutch. Recently I've learned a very important lesson: strict obedience. My first week and a half here I was always way tired in classes and struggled to stay awake throughout the day. This was due to the fact that I would get to bed a few minutes late with the rest of the room. After learning and reading about obedience I decided to try something. On Saturday night I prayed and asked Heavenly Father to help give me strength and energy to make it through the day so long as I was obedient to the sleeping schedule. I went to bed about ten minutes early and the following day I wasn't the least bit tired. Even without two meals, I was able to stay awake and focus with ease through over six hours of studying, two hours of mission conference, one hour of sacrament meeting, a half hour temple walk, an hour devotional, and another hour talk/video thing. I strongly believe and know that what they have told us is true: obedience brings blessings, but strict obedience brings miracles. I have applied this to the days following, and I have continued to go about my days without being weary. It's crazy to think that I've already been here for two weeks! I had a friend from school come in on the same day as me, and he left yesterday. It's so strange. I'm already one of the experienced Elders here at the MTC. Well, that's all for now! Tot ziens!
~Elder FowkesThursday, August 1, 2013
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