Mon, 27 Apr 2009

Dear everybody,

I got the whole email thing back to working again, so this is where I'll be. Back on the myldsmail. Hooray. :P

Anyway, so guess what? My week was pretty good. We taught something like 47 lessons--mostly through tracting, which isn't really effective, but what can you do? All of our investigators who had been progressing stopped, and we're just refilling the pool and trying to get the old ones back on track! We do have one new investigator we found this week--we got the referral from her sister who is a member, and her name is Maria and she's AWESOME. I can already tell she'll make it--hopefully with us, if we don't screw anything up. She understands what we teach her and, what's more, she LOVES it! When we taught her abbout prophets--how the Bible teaches about them, and it also teaches about how people reject them and loose the Gospel--that's apostasy--she was like, oh, that makes sense. And then she'll ask questions about what we're teaching her--because she actually wants to understand, not argue. Anyway, she's really awesome. And her sister drives from clear across town every lesson so she can be there with us. It really helps having someone there who is so close to her who can share her very personal feelings about what she has experienced in her own life.

FYI--the only people I have found on the mission who have really progressed have been found through members. So, for those of you who are members--are you giving the missionaries the names of your friends? I know for me, I never did. And I regret that. But now I know that this work doesn't belong to the full-time missionaries--it belongs to the people they serve. We're only here as tools to teach the people you bring. The people we find sometimes make it--the number is abou 10 in 1000. The number jumps to 600-something out of 1000 when they are found through members and the member friend is involved in the teaching.

Hna. Sepulveda and I worked really hard this week, and we feel great about it. And then I was part of a musical on Saturday--it went smoothly. The only problem, for me anyway, was that I had to sit "frozen" on the stage until my part came--I was virgin number 8 out of 10. By the time it actually got to me, my right leg was so dead, I literally could not feel it all the way up to my hip. So I had to get up and twirl around and act on a completely dead leg. It was like walking on a stump. Plus I wasn't wearing my glasses. It was a miracle that I didn't face-plant. It was pretty fun.

All of our parts were pre-recorded, so I'll send a copy of the cd home to my folks. If anybody else wants a copy, let me know and I'll get it to you. It turned out pretty good. :D

Well, that's all I have time for today! I love you all, and hope you are well. May the Good News carry you through the tough times.

D&C 128:22

"Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free."

May that be your inspiration.

Love,
Hna. Crowley

Mon, 20 Apr 2009

So I just went and checked my sent mail, and it looks like myldsmail never sent my email last week, OR the one I just sent. Also, I haven't gotten a single email from anyone last week or this, so I'm going to assume you didn't get anything, and if you sent it it didnt' get to me. I'm just using gmail from now on. I can't handle not getting ANYTHING FOR TWO WEEKS. I never hear from anybody as it is, but not to hear from you guys is too much. I don't knwo where Dad is, I don't know how you're doing, I don't know anything and I'm going nuts. You know what you missed last week? The Johnson family--she's and member and was having triplets and he's a big lovable black guy--they lost their babies last Monday. I sent you an email about that, but I doubt you got it. Then today I told you about the musical I'm in and we're doing recording for, which is for the Stake's celebration of the Relief Society's anniversary or whatever--and how on the track (we'll be lip-syncing) in the last song, I AM the back up--all the harmonies and such are just layers of me, which is pretty hilarious--but I bet you didn't get that either. So I'm not using myldsmail any more. I'll email my President about that right now.

Anyway, I'm going to go, because now I'm just frustrated and sad because no one has written me in two weeks (which is really just that myldsmail has been screwing me out of emails) and I have nothing pleasant to say.

Except that the Lord loves you.

I'll talk to you later.

Love,
Caryn

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 (Re-sent)

Ok, so this is the second week in a row that I haven't gotten an email from anyone at all, so I'm going to assume that myldsmail is eating my emails. I'd rather think that than nobody loves me. . . Lol. So if you're emailing me, just forward anything you've sent in the last two weeks to my gmail: marzupan@gmail.com. I'm done with this crap.

Or you could just send me some snail mail--that's better anyway. . . And the post office asked us to change how we write our address. Now it's just:

Hermana Caryn Crowley
18001 N. 79th Ave Ste. C50
Glendale, AZ 85308

Just simple like that. And I'm pretty sure my sister has got my apartment address on that blog she's posting, so you can always send it there. Anyway, change the address you have for me to the one above, and we'll be good and the post office won't hate me. . . Lol.

This week went by really fast. I'm getting ready to be in a musical--our stake is holding a dinner with a show for the Relief Society's anniversary thing, and I'm in it. We're doing The Ten Virgins, maybe you've heard of it. We've recorded it all, so we'll be up there lip-syncing--just like the Easter Pageant they do here. The whole thing--spoken and song--is a track, and the actors speak and sing along, but the track keeps it together. Anyway, it'll be good. The funniest thing is, though, that the last song is all me except the solos. I did ALL the back-up. So when I get a copy of theh finished cd, I'll send it home and you can check it out. It should be pretty good, since a professional techie is putting it together and mixing the vocals. . . I'm excited.

The Johnsons are doing pretty well, considering. I went over with our relief society president yesterday to drop off some burial clothes--beautiful stuff, done by this really awesome non-profit org called Sewing for Babies. They're amazing. Anyway, just keep them in your prayers. They are really turning to the Lord, instead of getting angry, and you can really see that He is pulling them through this. It'll be rough for a while though.

I'm going to go. Our P-Day has been shot due to some recording and missionaries going to doctors. . . So I'll talk to you all later--probably I'll just be emailing you from Gmail from now on, but we'll see.

Have an amazing day. The Lord loves you.

Love,
Hna Crowley

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 (Re-sent)

I had this whole email written and ready to send, but then I just got a phone call from the Johnsons--the ones having triplets. She went in for her C-section this morning, and they pulled the babies out and they were all dead. All three of them. Due to some mishandling by their previous doctor, they had infections inside the womb, and other stuff. David was telling me all of this, but then when he saw his car with three empty carseats in the back, he broke down. He was asking God why He took away his children--had he done something wrong? Why God? Why can't I hold them? What did I do wrong? He said, I just want to hold my children, hug them. He wept.

I wanted to tell him so bad, but it wasn't the time--he WILL have a chance to hold his children. It WAS NOT his fault, and God DOES have a plan for those three sweet little children. David WILL have a chance to hold his children, to love them. God is just, and justice will be done. He is also merciful, and He will send them comfort.

If any of you are questioning that now, know that it is true. Ask Him, trust Him. He will carry you through.

I love you all, and pray for you. Thank you, Porritts, for that amazing package. It was put to good use.

Be safe.

Love,
Hna. Crowley

Mon, 6 Apr 2009

Dear People of the world. . .

Hey, another week down, and another transfer. Ready for the news? *drum roll please*

. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .

I'm staying! Which makes 6 transfers in Estrella ward. I'm so glad though. I have a lot of work to do.

We've got a lot of stuff to do still today, so I'll make this quick. We just sent off Hna. Little and Hna. Martinez and an English sister to the mission home--they'll be on the plane to the real world by this time tomorrow. Actually, half of them will already be home by now. Weird. I'm glad I still have half a mission left. I have way to much still left to fix.

FYI--Thursday is my 9-month-day. Just you wait to see the photos we'll be taking. Hna. Matthews and I reported to the MTC together, so we have the same 9-month-day, and we're in the same apartment, so it's going to be quite the--mission appropriate--party. I'll let you know how it goes.

Last week was a pretty good week. We got Santos to go to Conference! He's Adan's uncle who lives with him, and he's awesome. This week, we'll be committing him to baptism. Also, we went to the Easter Pageant in Spanish. It was awesome. For those of you who live close to Phoenix, might I suggest a quick trip down here to catch the show? I personally think it would be worth it. This pageant is pretty awesome. Well, only worth it if you have another reason to come down here, like friends or family or something. Now is definitely the time to make the trip. It goes 7th-11th.

One more thing--if you are a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and you know someone who hasn't been to church in a while, give them a call. Or go visit them with cookies or something. Don't tell them--oh, haven't seen you in church for awhile--or anything like that, just go talk to them. Remind them that they are loved. If more less-active members were remembered by their friends, we would have less less-active members. Follow the counsel of the Prophets and be welcoming and loving to those outside of the fold, so they will always have a place to return to. And don't you dare judge them. There is NO WAY you can know what they are going through, neither is it your place. Counsel and direct, as far as it is in your sphere of influence, but don't ever judge them. Even if they are completely wrong, doesn't matter. Don't try to cast out their mote of dust when you've got your own beams to deal with.

I don't know if you can tell, but we've had a lot of problems with that lately. A lot of less-actives, and quite a few active who make snide comments about those who have strayed. That is not following Christ's example.

Now I have to go and repent from judging them. Geez.

Sister Rosser--THANK YOU FOR THE CARD!!! You and Sister Lindsey ROCK. I will have your letter out sometime, I just know it. . . (I won't give a specific time, because that always seems to fail.) When is your 9-months? Will you take preg pictures too? Please keep me informed.

Anyway, on that happy note--have an awesome Easter! Remember the Savior, and why we celebrate this holiday. He really did all that the Bible says He did--and more. Read Alma 7:11-14. That will give you an idea.

I love you all, be safe.

Love,
Hna. Crowley.