It’s my first P-day and I am soaking up the sun here in Cochrane. It is currently -24 Celsius and that is supposed to be the high temperature! I am doing great though. I am really enjoying it up here.  The members are really nice and we have been fed just about every night, and then we share messages with the members and try to have them help us by finding people for us to teach in 7 days.  We call it the 7 day challenge.  I have only taught two investigators and they are committed to being baptized, but they are living commonwealth, so we have to wait for them to get married. But they want to save money to buy rings, but they are great people and good investigators. I hope everything is going good at home. On the 12th of March Elder Christofferson is coming to speak to everyone in the mission so that’s exciting. He was at Grandma’s funeral right? Well I hope you all are doing all right. 

Oh and I almost forgot, could you get on facebook and look up some of my friends and send me their mailing addresses so that I could write them that would be great - Elder Derrick Hyde, Trent, Elder Ryan Hamilton, Eric Burdett, Caleb Porter, and I think that is it.  And I can’t have a musical instrument, but I can listen to music on P days and on car trips that will last more than 30 minutes. So if you can find them, there are some cool cds that I wouldn’t mind listening to.  One is called Nearer, it’s like a bunch of guitarists doing church songs and that was a cool cd, and another one by a guy called Kalai and his cd is called Paupers Hymnal and also anything else that is good like motab or anything like that.

That sounds like you guys are really busy, we are busy out here but not that kind of busy, We only have two investigators that i have taught at the moment but there are some people in the area book that we are investigating that we haven't been able to get a hold of, i guess everyone on the world is busy, and i have been teaching lessons to less actives and members just to practice teaching, and we have been sharing a lot of messages with members especially after dinners and stuff, last night we ate at the Nzdibuamiz, they are awesome they are from Burundi and the food the prepared was really good, and they had some friends over who just moved to Canada from Burundi and we shared a message with them about how Christ can lift your burdens and then i shared my testimony with them about the Atonement and how i knew that Christ suffered for all of our sins and through him we can be forgiven of our sins and return to live with Heavenly Father, it was really spiritual. I am sorry that you are sick i hope that you will feel better and i will pray for you. Me and Elder Crowther are getting along really well and he is a good missionary. Tell everyone that i say hi and that i love everyone, also did you get all those thank you cards?

Also, I was going to send you all of my pictures from the MTC, but I forgot to bring the card reader today, so I will send them next week.

I love you.

Love, 
Elder Dowd

Hey,

I got to Calgary all right and I got picked up by the Mission President and his wife at the airport. They took pictures to send you. Its really nice to be out of the MTC, it was like a bubble in there. Rochelle, I think that you should go and volunteer to be an investigator because that was one of the things that really helped me was teaching investigators as well as role playing as an investigator. i already have a new companion, his name is Elder Crowther and he is from Denver, Colorado. We are serving in Cochrane. I just got here and he had to some district leader stuff so he let me email you guys to let you know I am all right. I am all right, except I am still tired from waking up so early yesterday.

Whenever you guys hang out with Chris tell him to tell all my friends to write me, and i was the travel leader at the airport but it was just me and Elder Grbin so it wasnt a big deal except we almost missed the plane in Salt Lake because the MTC forgot to give us our immigration papers. But yeah thats about it. Its cold and stuff up here but its not that cold its only like -10. Oh and the area im serving in,Cochrane, there is an indian reservation on it, so i will be teaching Lamanites =). Oh, and i am living in a members home.

Tell everyone that I say hello and that I am ok.
I love you

Love,
Elder Dowd


Elder Dowd with Elder Brough and Elder Johnson

Elder Dowd in Elder Brazee's glasses

Richie being awkward



Elder Dowd with his MTC companion Elder Grbin

 

Richie being silly

 

Elder Dowd with some friends at the MTC



Richie left the MTC this morning, and he called the family during his layover in Denver.  He talked about how excited he is to be heading to Calgary and said he is really ready to get going on missionary work.  He said most of his district went to Hawaii including an Elder Kevin Porter from Lindon.  He said there are two sisters in his district who are going to the Temple Square mission - so look for them if you see U.S. sisters at Temple Square.  Their names are Sister Deboer from Irvine, CA and Sister Smiley from Chicago.

 

We talked for a few minutes with his companion, Elder Luke Grbin from Geelong, Victoria, Australia.  He plays a guitar with mostly alternative music and said he brought his harmonica to the MTC, but because Richie said they are not supposed to bring an instrument so they never played it.  He said his parents are divorced, his mother's ancestory has been members of the church in Australia for seven generations.  His father joined the church when he was 24 and served a mission in Australia.  He also said Richie knows A LOT of people and it seemed he knew everyone at the MTC!

 

Richie said they mostly studied the Preach my Gospel book and taught a few people lined up as investigators, and then taught another district and then they taught them.  He feels prepared to go and teach those who may be interested in learning more about the gospel. 

 

He said he finished his thank you cards, and paid some Elder from another district to send them all to me for him...so, here's to hoping we get them and can get them mailed out! 

 

He sounds so happy and ready to serve!

 

Richie's new mailing address (for the rest of his mission) is:

Elder Richard Dowd

Canada Calgary Mission

7044 Farrell Road SE

Calgary, Alberta T2H 0T2

CANADA

Mom,

My companion is from Geelong just south of Melbourne, he is also going to Calgary, we leave next Tuesday.  I am the travel leader.

I got a package from Grandma and Grandpa Dowd, and one from Aunty Tye. I also got a valentine from the Jensen family in our ward. I would like another towel and could you send me my old pair of blue vans to wear on p days because my gym shoes aren't very cool or comfortable with jeans (and they start to stink).

I also could use another t-shirt and and some more shorts (1 pair) and like a Tide to go or something and Febreeze.

The adapter works wonderfully and he is very grateful. I don't think I will have time to do all of the thank you notes because I am busy. I could probably write in them all and then send them all back to you. And I dont think I should chew gum any more because it is against the rules.

Hey Nickie, im glad you still think im a dork. Everyone in my district is going to hawaii. Except these two sisters that are going to temple square. Um tell chris i say hi too, I love you.

I love you and send my regards to Grandma and Grandpa Dowd and Turley, and also tell Aunt Willi that I love her. I love you and tell Aunty Tye thank you as well. I love all of you guys.

Elder Dowd

Also my laundry bag is awful and is ripping and I would like a new one. I would also like to know about whether or not the money I have is for spending and tell everyone to use dearelder.com  because it is fast and also I leave on Tuesday and I think I will get to call you guys, we are having a layover in Denver for an hour and a half.    Love you

Hey Mom!

sounds like things are going well. Things are going well here. I have seen Caleb Porter he lives in the floor above me. I have also seen, Eric Burdett, and some other kids i know. There is this one elder here who is from california whose sister in law is from thousand oaks she is a Seaman i think. But he is just like michael davies and it makes me happy and sad whenever i see and talk with him. My companion is great he is Australian and a musician and is smart and also charming. You guys would love him. Our district is awesome, we are easily the best district in the world! I miss when you do my laundry everyday cause now i have only one a day to clean my clothes and i sometimes feel dirty. The food food is ok. I dont sleep well but i dont think that i ever have. One of my teachers is roomates with Elisa Craigs brothers. Oh and my companions name is Elder Grbin, (Gribun). Umm, have you guys hung out with chris since ive left? Has he called you guys. I love you. And sometimes i pray for you but i forget about you guys alot too. This place is cool, but there are alot of goobers and wierd people, but its where i should be.  Congrats to Maddie. And good luck to Nickie and Carly with their injuries. And good luck to you and Dad and Rochelle in all your conquests. I love you all.

<3 Elder Richard Dowd