Hello!

This last week has been pretty good, pretty busy. We had Zone Training meeting on Tuesday.  Then I was on exchanges with Elder Grodkowski, and that was fun.  Then on Wednesday we went back to Cochrane with a missionary that is being trained there, Elder Van Orden. It was really fun and I got to go to dinner at the Nzojibwamis! On Friday we went to the office and I saw Elder Staley and it was fun. I got to call Elder Orozco and talk to him for a while.

On Saturday our investigator Marc that we had taught and had to pass off was baptized.  Elder Renshaw baptized him. After the baptism we went out to eat with him and his fellowshippers and got sushi, it was really good except for the shashimi which was a big chunk of raw salmon. That was fun.

Me, Elder Church, Marc, Elder Young, Elder Renshaw

Then on Sunday we went to church and had a really fun dinner after.  Yesterday was a normal day because it is transfers this week. We had District Meetings and then we went and taught an investigator and his friend.  Then we had dinner and for FHE we went Christmas caroling on the ctrain, it was fun.

C-Train

Tommorrow is transfers and I am pretty sure Elder Renshaw is staying as my companion. Our p-day next week isn't until boxing day so that will be the next time we correspond. 

My friend Elder Trone left the mission this morning.  I think he will be staying with you tonight and for a couple days.  He will call you when he is there.  That's crazy Nickie is about done with her mission papers! 

I love you all! And see you in a week on SKYPE!

Love, Elder Dowd

P.S. Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes!!

 

Great Day Today!

Good Morning!

Hows it going? It's pretty warm this morning in Calgary for the winter so I am doing great this morning! This last week was kind of slow missionary wise but we did see some miracles. I honestly can't remember much of what happened this last week. We taught our investigator Mark on Tuesday and he told us that he wants to be baptized! But... he doesn't live in our ward! So they next day we passed him off to his Ward's Elders, but he is getting baptized this Saturday which is sweet.

Our other investigator is leaving to go up north and work on oil rigs, so he will only be back periodically. We had our family ward's Christmas party this weekend.  It was fun and there was good food -- they cooked 165 lbs of turkey! We went to a Christmas concert last night and it was really good.

We got some referrals this week that we are going to teach so that is looking good as well. On Friday we had Zone Leader Council and it was really good.  I got to see Elder Staley (one of the missions newest zone leaders) and a lot of other mission friends like Elder Grbin.

Tell Sister Sorrells if she would like me to help at that fireside in February, I am happy to do so.  We will probably SKYPE from the Pitchers home, they have computers we can use.  Mom, if you haven't sent the package yet, will you see if you can find some kind of missionary themed Christmas ornament for us to give the Pitchers.  They have had missionaries live with them for five years.  Also, since you offered, yea, sending something for me to give to my companion would be nice.  Thanks.  What are your plans for Christmas?

Also Mom, you asked about the email account.  I think it stays open for a little while after you get home from the mission, but our mission gives us a copy of all our correspondence with the Mission President before we leave, so I don't need to worry about that.  We can get on it when I get home and print out whatever other ones I want to keep.  The Church has a different system now for emailing the Mission Presidents.  We use that to correspond (if you want to call it that - I just report about the same thing each week!). 

That was my week! Hope you all stay warm and have a Merry Christmas Season!

Love, Elder Dowd

Mission Tour Week

Hey!

My last week was pretty good.  On Monday we had p-day. Then we had District Meetings on Tuesday. Later that evening we taught our investigator Rob. Wednesday we didn't do anything special. On Thursday we had our mission tour with Elder Evans. It was a really good meeting. We talked about the age change for missionaries and then we talked about a lot of other stuff. We had lunch and I was able to eat and visit with Elder Staley and Elder Orozco which was really nice. I have now and have had a lot of really good companions. I am really lucky.

On Friday we went to get mail at the office. Then we did a baptismal interview and then we ate out for dinner. On Saturday we reported numbers for the end of the month and then we went to that baptism for the people we interviewed.  They are a couple and their son joined the church 10 years ago. He baptized them. Rob our investigator was there.Then we had dinner with the Pitchers and it was a lot of fun. Then on Sunday we had church and none of our investigators could make it because they were all sick. Then we had a dinner with a bunch of YSA - they fed us Borsht? After dinner we watched the Christmas Devotional. Well, that was my week.

Uhhh, I got a speeding ticket.  I was going 120 km in an area that just barely changed to 110 and I wasn't slow enough.  I will need you to transfer some money into my account I think, or you can email the office and see if they prefer a different way.

Also, you asked if I have any requests for my Christmas box - can you send EZ cheese and RITZ crackers.  They have Ritz, but they don't taste the same.  I can't really think of anything else.

Love Elder Dowd

A Great Week

Hello!

This last week was really good. On Monday we had p-day and it was pretty fun. On Tuesday we had Zone Conference and it was pretty good. I had to give a talk that I had no preparation for! Elder Orozco was there.  So, it was really good to see him again. On Tuesday night we had dinner. Afterwards we went and taught a new investigator named Andre.  He is pretty cool and pretty interested in the gospel.  He agreed to read the Book of Mormon.

Nothing really special happened on Wednesday or Thursday.  On Friday we went to the office and picked up mail and then we taught another new investigator named Rob. He is really prepared. It was a cool lesson.

Saturday was pretty uneventful. On Sunday we had church and taught our investigator Mark. He is really prepared as well.  We were teaching him the plan of salvation and we were explaining the spirit world and he asked us, "Well is there a way that we can be baptized for those people in the spirit world since they don't have a body?"  It was really cool!

And yeah, that has pretty much been our week in a nutshell.

This upcoming week we have our mission tour.  Elder Evans of the First Quorum of the Seventy will be coming and touring our mission. 

Mom, I will look for that Sunlight soap you want from here.  Are you sure they still make it?  I will ask Sister Pitcher if she knows where to buy it.

I don't need anything for Christmas and I don't want to just get something to have to pack it up and bring home, so don't worry about sending anything.

I think Jason White is coming home this week.  Check with his mom to see when his homecoming talk is.  Let me know what he says.

I love you!

Love, Elder Dowd

Hello family!
It's been a crazy week! On Monday I finished saying goodbye to people.  I said goodbye to the YSA Ward at FHE and got a group picture with all of them. Then on Tuesday we had p-day.  That was fun.

On Wednesday we went to transfers (we meet at a Stake Center and have a meeting and are told where we are going and with whom).  I found out that I will be serving in West Calgary Zone.  This is the same zone I started my mission in. It's really wierd! I'm in the Brentwood YSA Ward.  It's the biggest YSA ward in our mission. I met one of Nickie's friends from BYU who is here on a Mandarin speaking mission.  We live with an elderly couple called the Pitchers, and they are super nice! They treat us really well and they have an unlimited supply of mango juice which we are more then welcome to! We also have a shower that is like 4 feet long and 4 feet wide it's huge! The best part is that we have a sauna! It's a really cool apartment.

The rest of the week went by pretty fast. We had two non-members come to church in our YSA Ward and we taught one of them after church. The other one we will be teaching later this week so things are really good. My companion's name is Elder Renshaw from Modesto, California. He's a really good missionary. He is a BIG Giants fan, so that it sad! (Richie's a big Dodgers fan.) He has been out for a year.  We will have a lot of fun, I am really excited to be here.

We have a zone conference on Tuesday and it's combined with the zone that Elder Orozco is in so I am excited to see him. Elder Staley became a zone leader this transfer and he came to Calgary. So every Friday we get mail at the office and I will get to see him which is really good too.

The Church is so true!!!

Love, Elder Dowd

Oh, sorry I forgot to tell you, I will be coming home on February 7.

Transferring Tomorrow to Another Area in Calgary

Hey all! It sounds like you had a busy week!  This last week was o.k. Let's see - on Monday we had p-day.  We went to the mall and I got a tie.  We played dodgeball and basketball and stuff. Then for FHE we had a lesson on finances from the YSA Bishopric it was pretty good.

Then on Tuesday we had a Zone Meeting. The assistants came. It was good and then we had a meeting with the Stake Presidency.

On Wednesday we didn't have any appointments until 7:00 which made for a long day. Then on Thursday we had weekly planning and a few lessons, but sadly all of our evening appointments canceled. Then on Friday we had lunch with all the Calgary Elders then we went to the office to get mail. Then we had dinner at the Toutais family's home which was a lot of fun. Then we taught some investigators.

Then on Saturday we had no appointments. We went to Applebees with the Chinese elders. Then we stopped by and read with a less active. On Sunday it was Rememberance Day. In our family ward all the talks were on wars. It was pretty good. In our YSA ward (which is always really good) we had ward conference. The Stake Presidency spoke which was really excellent. I really love the Stake Presidency -- they are great men. After church we had another "Linger Longer" which was a lot of fun.  I really love this YSA Ward.  I am going to miss it. Then we visited with some members.

Yesterday we had a District meeting we typed up some Zone Records. We went to a lesson that canceled and then went to dinner in Balzac with a family who have these really cool twins that just got home from their mission. The Payne brothers. It was a lot of fun. One of them went to Guatemala on his mission and got a lot of basketball jerseys for really cheap. He gave me a Magic Johnson jersey and a Kobe Bryant jersey! That was so nice of him. Then for FHE last night they played Where's Waldo but we didn't go because the mall they went to was out of our area. So we visited with some of the members that stayed behind at the church. Then everyone came back and I said some goodbyes.  I got a group picture with the FHE group.

That was my week! Oh and yes I am getting trasnferred, but I am staying in Calgary.  I don't know which area in Calgary or who will be my companion, but I will let you know.  We no longer get the list of where everyone is going, we get told what place to report to for transfer and they have a meeting and tell you.  But, this list says who is staying in Calgary, and who will be going to other areas.  So, I will let you know as soon as I can where I will be.

I never knew that Elder Ellgen has a card reader that works to load pictures until today!!! So, here are a few pictures!

I love you!  Elder Dowd

One of the Payne twins - he gave me BOTH of these jerseys!

The Confederate Park YSA FHE Group 

with Elder Ellgen and me 

Ian's Baptism

Another Week in Calgary!

Hello!

This last week was pretty good.  On Monday we had p-day.  Then we went on exchanges with one of the Assistants and we went to FHE with the YSA Ward.  It was a lot of fun again - we had a Halloween party. Then on Tuesday we went to Airdrie for District Meetings.  After the meeting we went on exchanges again to teach a new investigator we found for some other Elders. Then we took the Assistant back. Then I went on exchanges again so Elder Ellgen could teach a new investigator for us.

We went on exchanges with the Chinese elders on Wednesday. On Friday we had Zone Leader Council and I scared an Elder with a giant shark balloon and it was really funny. Then on Saturday we had a few lessons with some less actives and recent converts.

Then yesterday was pretty good. We had church.  In our YSA Ward a lot of people bore their testimonies (including me) and the meeting went 40 minutes over. Then we had a Linger Longer social afterwords it was fun.  I really love our YSA Ward. Then we were almost out of gas so we had the other Elders give us a ride.

It was a good week. Oh and my Temple Recommend expired, so I had an interview with President Nicholas on Friday and I got a new one.

Also, this year President Nicholas is letting us SKYPE for our Christmas call, so that will be fun.  Do you have SKYPE available?  Also, I will work on all the essays, etc. for the college applications.  I am not trunky, and am doing well with the work, it just feels very weird to think my mission is coming to an end. 

I am attaching some pictures of the temple at the dedication that a member took.  I still can't upload pictures at this library.

I love you! Bye!

Temple Dedication Week

Hello Family!

This last week was pretty good!

On Monday we had Pday, and that was fun.  Then we played Minute to Win It (he didn't say, but I think with the YSA Ward) and that was a lot of fun. Then on Tuesday we had District Meetings.  Then we he had some lessons.  On Wednesday we went on exchanges with the Spanish elders. It was fun and we went to dinner with some recent converts and were fed some Mexican food. I didn't speak very much -- I just listened and tried to understand as much as I could. We had these meatballs with a little bit off egg in the middle.  We also had beans and rice.  It was really good. 

Then on Thursday it was really boring we had no appointments the whole day, but we went to the office to get mail. Then on Friday we had no appointments, but we went to the temple, because Elder Ellgen needed to get physio therapy for his knee. His doctor was working at the temple and so he asked us to meet him there.

Then on Saturday morning the whole mission got together to meet with Elder Ballard, Elder Christensen and Elder Walker (who is from Alberta). There are missionary dvds called "The District" and Michael Moreno is in them.  His companion's name was Elder Christensen and at the end of our meeting on Saturday I asked Elder Christensen if his son was Michael's companion, it was pretty funny. He laughed and said he is not his son!  Then I was able to ask Elder Ballard a serious question right after about missionary work.

Then that evening we watched the cultural celebration through a closed circuit broadcast at the church. 

 Performers in front of VIPS

They gave Elders Ballard, Christensen, Walker and their wives

white cowboy hats at the end. 

(Pictures from stopmonkeyingaround.blogspot.com - she said it is a Calgary

Civic tradition first instituted by an LDS mayor, Donald Hugh MacKay in the 1950's)

Well, yesterday was the temple dedication.  We were able to watch it from the Stake Center.  We were very blessed to be able to watch all three sessions.  The dedication was really great.  The ceremonies were all very spiritual and I was deeply touched.

 Calgary Temple Dedication

Sunday, October 28, 2012

(picture - Deseret News)

Elder Walker, some children who got called up to help,

President Monson, Elder Ballard, Elder and Sister Christensen

(picture - Deseret News)

YSA Choir who sang at the dedication - several of these

Young Adults are in the Ward where I am serving.

(Picture - Deseret News)

Well, that was our week!

Love you, Elder Dowd



Another Great Week in Calgary!

Started Snowing in Calgary this Week!

Hello!

Things are pretty good in Calgary.  It started snowing this last week. Let me see -- this week went by really fast. On Monday it was p-day and then we went to FHE with our YSA Ward.  They did a combined FHE with another YSA ward.  They did YSA Idol and they called Elder Ellgen and me up to do a duet.  We sang a "Whole New World" from Aladdin and we got a standing ovation at then end! It was a lot of fun. 

Then we had interviews on Tuesday and that was good. Then on Tuesday night we taught a new investigator, but it was really wild because she just kept asking us questions.

Then on Wednesday we took a group of eight bible college students to the temple open house and then they asked us a lot of questions after. They were all Pentecostal and they prayed for us at the end of the meeting. Then we went to dinner at the Toutais family home. They are some of my favorite members in our YSA ward.  Their son Henry just got home from his mission in Toronto. Their dad is from Tonga and their mom is from Iceland. They are really fun.

Then on Thursday some missionaries that just left came back up and visited. We talked with them for awhile, and Elder Ellgen did a baptismal interview for an investigator.

Then on Friday we went to the office and got mail and on Saturday we went on exchanges.  I went with a brand new elder.  He is from San Lois Obispo and he joined the church last year, he is really sharp. We stopped by this one member of our YSA ward and we talked to his mom who served in the Ventura mission so that was pretty cool.

Sunday was good they made announcements about the temple dedication for Sunday.  It is being broadcast at three different times.  We may be asked to usher at the cultural celebration - but if not, we will not be attending that.  President Monson and Elder Ballard are supposed to be coming for the dedication which is next Sunday.  After the YSA ward they had a linger longer. Then we went to dinner with a Hispanic family from our family ward at the church with the rest of their family it was really fun. And that was my week in a nut shell!

Sorry I was on late today.  We went to breakfast in Airdrie at the home of some YSA members.  They made waffles for us.

Love YA, Bye,
Elder Dowd

PS Happy 23rd this week Rochelle! I hope your birthday is golden, I know mine next year will be!

Good morning!

 

This last week was all right.  It was Thanksgiving here last Monday and we had a meeting at the mission home.  They fed us turkey pot pie for lunch and had us all go around in a circle and say something we are grateful for. There was only one missionary in the room that has been out longer then I have been and so I said that I am grateful that I have been out on my mission longer than all of you!  It was pretty funny.

 

Then we had p-day on Tuesday.  The rest of the week was kind of a blur and really boring.  It was a slow week.  We went to the temple open house with some investigators on Thursday and they felt the spirit there. On Saturday I went on exchanges and the Plewrights took us to the temple open house with some non-member friends. I have been to the open house four times with investigators.

 

Sunday was good. I love going to the YSA ward they are a lot of fun and really great. A girl in the ward brought her friend to church and we are going to teach her on Tuesday. So that is exciting. Other than that nothing really too cool to report. And yes, I did get your package and that was marvelous! And it really saved my bacon! Thank you!

 

Here's a picture the Assistants sent out of last transfer.

The church is true!!!!

 

Love Elder Dowd

Yesterday Was Canadian Thanksgiving!

Hey! I am still here in the great white north zone! I am still with Elder Ellgen.  Things are going pretty good. President Nicholas has made a few changes in the mission and dissolved the segregated Spanish and Mandarin Zones in our mission so we now have a pair of Chinese and Spanish elders in our zone. Also, they opened up a new area in Airdrie so we now are the biggest zone in Calgary.

Yes, I watched conference and it was really good. That's great news about the minimum age requirement and that Nickie is getting ready to go sooner than she thought she could.  A lot of people up here in the YSA Ward are pretty excited about it as well.  I really enjoyed conference and it was my last conference on my mission. There are only three missionaries in the whole mission who have been out longer then I. So I have been feeling really weird lately. My whole mission I have felt like I have had loads of time and it has been comfortable. But now all of a sudden I feel like I have no time left and it makes me want to finish strong.  I have seen Elders get super trunky at the end of their missions and I think I would be so sad if I did that, so I am really going to try hard to be strong.  So yeah, that's what has been going on. Work wise we have some investigators right now, but they aren't really progressing and they are crazy some of them but we are getting referrals and stuff from the temple so we will see what happens.

Yes, we will get to go to the Calgary Temple dedication, but we will probably just watch the broadcast of it.  You don't need to send me a white handkerchief because they are getting them for all the missionaries. That's great that you can send my debit card with Cathlyn.  Also, since you asked, can you send some of those big bags of cereal?  I like Cocoa Krispies and the Fruity Krispies.  Cereal is so expensive up here, so that would be great.  Also, can you send some pull apart Twizzler licorice?

I don't know those two kids from the Church News that are from Calgary. I know who Elder Nate is, but haven't served with him.  He went to Lethbridge to open up the Spanish area for that Zone.  He is a good Elder.  I know you want to buy me temple clothes for when I get home, but I really like wearing Dad's old ones.

You asked if I know when I am coming home, looks like February 7, but at the next transfer they will tell me the travel plans and I will let you know for sure.  

Love you!

ELder Dowd

Calgary Temple Open House

Hey Everyone!

Yeah we went and helped clean the temple.  It was great and really fun.  We met Elder Walker as we were cleaning. I have been all throughout the temple.  It is beautiful.  We were able to take our recent convert through the temple open house yesterday.  (Pictures below are from the Calgary Herald Newspaper as Elder Dowd still cannot send pictures from the library where he sends his emails - some of these pictures are taken by the Calgary Herald, others are courtesy of the LDS Church.)

Elder Walker at the beginning of the Calgary Temple Open House

Back of the Calgary Temple

Front of the Calgary Temple

Angel Moroni on the Calgary Temple

Recommend Desk in the Calgary Temple

Bride's Room

Art work above chandellier

Ordinance Room

Tile Art

Sealing Room

Window and Inscription at the Calgary Temple



This last week was really good. We had another baptism on Friday and it went really well. The rest of the week is all a blur really.  A lot of crazy things happen all the time that seem to keep us pretty busy.

On Sunday our newly baptized member didn't show up to sacrament meeting, so we texted him asking him where he was. Halfway through the meeting he texted back and said he just woke up!  He made it and got confirmed in the third hour combined class. It was good. 

Yesterday we had a conference call with all the Zone Leaders and President Nicholas. He told us that the Spanish and Mandarin speaking elders are going to be combined into the English zones. So that is kind of a big deal and it will make all the English zones larger.

We had a fun family home evening with our YSA Ward yesterday and I said goodbye to a lot of people just in case I am getting transferred but we have not gotten any news yet, so we will see. Yes it's ok you can send me that lady's cell number if she will be up here that should be fine.

Well, I may be transferred, no news yet even though transfers are tomorrow, so you may not know until next week!

Love, Elder Dowd!

Calgary Shots of the Northern Lights on Sunday, September 30

(Not sure if Elder Dowd was able to see them, pictures are from Calgary Herald)

A Really Great Week!

Hello Everyone!

It was a really good week. Last Monday our YSA Ward went and helped clean and landscape the temple grounds.  We went and helped out it was really great.  Then on Tuesday we had district meetings.  On Wednesday we met with our investigator and arranged the program for her baptism. On Thursday we met with another investigator who is planning on getting baptized this upcoming Saturday, we gave him a blessing to help him quit smoking. On Friday we had a special zone leader council, because the MTC sent some people to come and evaluate our mission. 

We were looking at a chart of how effective our mission is compared to other missions.  It only takes our mission 5 new investigators to have a baptism overall where other missions in the area take an average of 15 new investigators. The MTC wants us to change the way that we keep track of new investigators so they can track how many people are expressing interest in the church or something like that.  Well, none of us liked that idea so we were all kind of fighting it, but they changed it anyway, which we will support.  Then he was complementing us on the fact that we are more effective and then I asked " Well could it be that we are more effective because we don't get as many new investigators? And that we care about them more?" Everybody laughed and he seemed a little frustrated.  Then after that we went to the office and got mail. I got my package thank you so much and thank you Sister Wagstaff.

Later our investigator had her Baptismal Interview.  On Saturday we went to another companionship's baptism.  It was really great -- he has a really strong testimony. And then we went to fill the font and had the baptism for our investigator.  It was really spiritual.  She was baptized by her friend that introduced her to the gospel.  There is a family in our stake whose dad is Tongan and their mom is from Iceland, and their son is in our YSA ward so we sang that Tongan song that we sang to you on Mother's Day at the baptism.

At church on Sunday we had her confirmation.  It was a really great week.  Today for p-day our whole zone is going to go help out at the temple site becuase there is still a lot of work to do and tours start tomorrow!

Well I love you!

Elder Dowd

Another Great Week

Hey Family!

I'm glad that Jason called and came over.  Thanks for having him. I loved serving around him -- he was a good missionary.

Jason Kuetell recently returned from Calgary with Elder Dowd's Sisters in Orem

I don't know why we cannot send pictures from the Calgary Library System, but, we live with a member and I will see if she is able to upload them to that photo account you made Mom.  Thanks for doing that.  So, hopefully you will get pictures soon!

Today Elder Ellgen and I are getting haircuts, then we are having a Zone activity.  After the Zone Activity, the YSA Ward in our area is cleaning up the new Calgary Temple grounds, so we get to go help do that.  I am excited about being able to do that.

This last week has been a lot of fun and really good as well. We had a really fun p-day with the Calgary East Zone last week. Elder Pikula was there and it was fun to see him.  He goes home in November. Then for FHE that night we played "Whose Line is It Anyway" which was fun and everyone participated.  I got called up with a member of the ward and we had to pretend to be Tarzan and Jane, it was funny. And then on Tuesday we had a meeting with the whole zone and it was funny because these two Elders put a wrong address in their GPS so I had to go rescue them because they were lost.

On Wednesday nothing too spectacular happened, that I can remember. On Thursday I went on exchanges with an Elder in our zone.  His name is Elder Krogue, we went on exchanges because Elder Wangsgard, the senior missionary over housing needed help moving some furniture and Elder Ellgen needed to get a brace for his knee at the same time. So it was a lot of fun.  As we were storing some of the furniture there was some furniture that was getting thrown out so Elder Krogue and I broke them down and it was a lot of fun.

On Friday we went to the office and got mail and that was about it. And on Saturday we went on exchanges again because the Wangsgards took us out  to eat for helping them which was fun. And then on Sunday our two investigators with a date came to church, which was really good. And we had dinner with a really fun family. Yeah, good stuff. Our investigator getting baptized this Saturday is really nervous about her jumpsuit and the refreshments and the program and all this stuff - it's really funny. So things are going really good and yeah we have a baptism this Saturday.

The Church is true! It grows despite its missionaries and members! Love you!

Elder Dowd

Things are Good in the Great White North!

Hello Family,

I am doing well! A lot of exciting stuff has happened this week. We had a really good p-day last week.  The whole zone showed up and we played basketball and dodgeball and street hockey.  Then FHE was held for our YSA ward.  It was really fun.  We went to a member of the bishopric's house in Airdrie and we played games and there was a slip-n-slide and a BBQ and lots of fun stuff.  Our investigator Ian was the last one to leave. (Ian is the guy who came up to Elder Grbin and me once when we were on the street and asked us if we would teach him.  He is scheduled for baptism in two weeks.)

Then on Tuesday I went on exchanges again in the Second and the Panorama ward area because there is a new elder there and his companion doesn't know the area very well and I have already served there. On Wednesday we had District meetings and President Nicholas came.

On Thursday we had weekly planning, and then on Thursday night President Nicholas invited all the Zone Leaders over to the mission home to have a party, which was fun, but really weird. Then on Friday we had Zone Leader Council.  On Saturday we helped with the Calgary Food Drive and Elder Orozco came to help. It was a lot of fun. Then we took two of our investigators to a baptism.

On Sunday we had 4 non-members and one really less active man (whose non member friend we are teaching this week) come to our YSA ward. So things are going really well. Elder Ellgen and I are enjoying ourselves and working really hard.

Today is really exciting! We have arranged for a multi-zone p-day, so the East Calgary Zone, which is Elder Pikula's zone is coming to have p-day with us today and I am really looking forward to seeing him. We are going to play a lot of basketball and dodgeball and it will be fun. We are expecting 24 missionaries and hopefully we can get the YSA members and investigators to come out as well. So that is going to be a lot of fun.

I am in good health Mom.  Elder Ellgen and I have been working out every morning with weights and a pull up bar and as you can see we are getting lots of exercise on p-day lately.  Elder Orozco told me I look skinnier, but...I don't know.  But, I feel good.

Good news! We also have two investigators set to be baptized in two weeks, which is even better then p-day (but just barely) =). Also, the other two investigators came to Church and are being taught with members.  They kept asking questions in class.  We are also teaching a less active man who works with a very active member and wants to be strong.  So things are good in the great white north! I love you all!

Elder Dowd

Things are Great!

Hello Family!

Things are going really well. Elder Ellgen and I are getting along well. We are teaching investigators that are progressing quite nicely. Things are going great. The weeks are like a blur.

On Tuesday we had dinner with our investigators she took us out to get Persian food, which was good. Then on Wednesday we went on exchanges and found out that one of our investigators moved and went back to Ontario. Thursday I can't remember what happened!  Friday we went to lunch with some Elders in the zone because they turned a year old, then went to the office to get mail and then got stuck in traffic the whole day and then on Saturday it rained really softly. On Sunday we had some investigators to church and then on p-day we went to the mall and then we played a lot of sports and it was fun. Elder Orozco is training in the Spanish program right now, so in the Spanish Zone you can go anywhere in Calgary on p-day so Elder Orozco came to p-day with us and it was a lot of fun.

Today I am on exchanges which have been pretty good so far. Oh and miracle of the week - last year on Christmas Eve I lost my camera and I looked for it for a whole month and I could not find it, and I was convinced someone stole my camera. And then on Thursday the Plewrights, a family in Panorama Ward called and said they had found my camera!!!!! So I now have two  cameras. But I will start using the one that I lost because it works a lot better. So that was really exciting. Yep!

Thanks for looking into colleges for me Mom.  I will keep praying and let you know if I think we should try any other schools.

I am doing exchanges with Elder Stephan from Alpine.  He went to Lone Peak, but doesn't know Brandon. 

Elder Kuetell, Elder Ellgen, me, Elder Stapley

Elder Kuetell is living in Provo.  I am going to give him your phone number so you can have him over.  I still can't upload pictures, but there's that picture of him with Elder Ellgen (my companion now) and Elder Stapley and me.  

I love you!
Elder Dowd

All is Well!!!

Hello Family!

Things are going really great! Elder Ellgen and I are doing really well. You asked about Elder Ellgen.  He is from Craig, Colorado which is close to Vernal.  He came out a month after I did, so he will return home next March. 

That investigator that we said is progressing set a date to be baptized! And we have been teaching two new investigators who both came to church in the YSA Ward and are going to come to FHE today.

This past week was fun.  We had transfers on Wednesday. We taught our new investigators on Wednesday. Then on Thursday we set a baptismal date with our other investigator. Then on Friday we went to the office to pick up mail and one of my previous Zone Leaders in Cardston, Elder Langi who had finished his mission this last transfer, but didn't leave until Sunday because he is from Tonga, came with us for the day.  It was a lot of fun.  We taught investigators and for our dinner break we visited with this Tongan family in our Stake.  We sang that song that we sang for you on Mother's Day.

On Saturday I saw Elder Orozco.  He was at the church meeting with all the Spanish missionaries to go to on a picnic. Elder Orozco is now training a new missionary in the Spanish program.

Yesterday we had two investigators come to church which is really great! So though I am sad to see Elder Grbin go, all iswell and I like Elder Ellgen!

Love, Elder Dowd
P.S. Happy Birthday Carly! 

Elder Grbin Transferring

Dear Family and Friends,

Hey! Yes, it is transfers this week and I am sad to anounce that Elder Grbin is being transferred, to Cardston which is exciting for him and I'm really happy for him. My new companion's name is Elder Ellgen. I am really bummed that Elder Grbin is leaving, but I can't change that. He is going to be in the Barfuss' Ward. I will see if Sister Leavitt will call you when she comes to the States again.  I can't really think of anything I want in a package except a Betos Burrito.  Any way you could think to freeze or refrigerate one to get up here would be appreciated! :)

Elder Ellgen

Sounds like a fun week you've had. Elder Grbin and I have had a really good week. We picked up two new investigators this past week.  One is a member of a family that just got baptized on Saturday and one, well he drove up to us on the street and started talking to us.  We taught him last night and he is very interesreted and interesting.

Mom, to answer your question we are just Zone Leaders, not District Leaders too.  Our Zone has two Districts in it and we attend District Meetings at one District one week, and the other District the next week.  Other than that nothing too big except... we should be having a baptism here pretty soon.  One of our investigators is making a lot of progress so yeah, thats that. 

I sure do love ya, sorry that this letter isn't too long.

Love, Elder Dowd

Things are Great!

Hello!

Things have been going alright since I wrote last Wednesday.  Nothing too exciting really.  Every Thursday we spend all morning planning out our next week, so that's what we did. Then on Friday we go to the mission office and pick up the zone's mail and that's always fun.  On Saturday we went on exchanges and I went to the 2nd and Panorama Wards which both Elder Grbin and I have previously served in. That was fun.  We went to a baptism and it was really good. Then we had dinner with the Assistants after. Then on Sunday it was good in our family ward, no investigators came, so I blessed the Sacrament and then in the YSA Ward our investigator came on her own which was great.  There was only one speaker who showed up so the Bishopric called on this couple that helps the Ward and the wife bore a really powerful testimony which was really great.  That was pretty much the highlights of the week.

We live with a really nice family named O'Brien.  Today we are going to play ping pong and get some shopping done.  The other Elders in our District live with a family who have a ping pong table, so we will go over there.

Oh! Last night there was a hailstorm for a little while, that was a change.

Well, yep I sure love you!
 Love,  Elder Dowd

Everything Is Great!

Hey!

 

Everything is going really great. Elder Grbin and I are having a blast and working really hard. This week was really busy - we had a lot of stuff to do.

 

On Monday we skipped p-day so we could go to the temple this week.  Then on Tuesday we had a Zone Training meeting where we train the zone and set goals for them and stuff. Then on Wednesday we had a bunch of a appointments. Thursday we went to the temple which makes the 9th time I've been to the temple on my mission. And then on Thursday night we had dinner in Airdrie which is a small commuter town just north of Calgary with a member of our YSA Bishopric.  After dinner we were running late to a lesson and Elder Grbin was backing me up and he left the park brake on the truck so I put it into reverse and and it wasn't moving and I let the park brake go and our truck moved really fast and I pinned Elder Grbin between our truck and the car behind us, so we had to cancel our appointment and go to the doctor in South Calgary but it was just a bruise and everyone is ok and we were laughing the whole time. Then on Friday we had interviews with President Nicholas. Also we did another training and then we had to go to the mission office to pick up our Zone's mail. And then on Sunday we had dinner with a really fun family.and then yeah things have been going really great. Thats pretty much what has been going on this week.

 

To answer your questions Mom, we have a YSA ward and a family ward in our area.  In areas where there is a YSA ward, the Zone Leaders are always put with them.  We have a few investigators, but we are having trouble getting set appointments.  We do have a lesson tomorrow with one of them.  On Thursday we are having dinner with a member family.  They gave their friends a Book of Mormon and they are coming to dinner to meet us.  So, things are looking up!

 

I sure love you all and the church is still true!

 

Love,  Elder Dowd 

A Busy Week!

Hello Family,

Things have been great with Elder Grbin.  We are having a lot of fun, but it's been hectic. We have been super busy. We transferred on Wednesday which pretty much takes the whole day.  Then on Thursday we had to move out of our house and in with new members, so we packed all of our stuff and then they weren't home when we got there, so we had to unpack all of out stuff and teach some lessons. Then we had to grab all of our stuff again and go back to our old house one more time!

Then on Friday we had Zone Leader Council at the mission home where all the Zone Leaders in the mission get together and we council about what the mission needs to accomplish and other concerns. That went until about 4:30 and then we had to after that go to the mission office and get our Zone's mail.  Then we had to go and move into our new house.  Then we taught an investigator, but he dropped us.

On Saturday we went to a Calgary Stampede breakfast and I saw a bunch of members that I know from when I was near this area a little while ago. Then on Sunday we had a good day.  We went to church. Then today we are sacrificing our p-day so that we can go to the Cardston temple on Thursday which I am excited for.  We are going down with some members in our area and two Elders in our Zone who haven't been yet. 

And yeah that's pretty much it. I'm glad that you all had a lot of fun at the Madsen Family Reunion, I didn't even realize it was happening so soon.

The box of letters of mine you found on the porch were brought by the Leavitts.  I left them with them when I transferred from Cardston a month or so ago so I didn't have to lug them around the mission with me.  They come to Utah a lot and they are down there right now.

That's too bad that Stephen R. Covey died.  I went to a party at his house in Provo once.

I am not sure Mom if I want to go to BYU or UVU, so if you want to apply at both for me, go ahead.  I just don't know yet, what I want to do.  That's great that Rochelle got that job.  So she moves out at the end of the summer?  That will be weird to just have Carly at home.  When does Maddie go to Idaho?

So Brenna Lewis got married last weekend, and Garret Coleman too?  Ha ha ha about Olivia, tell her I highly doubt I will be married before her!

This home we moved into had other missionaries there before us.  They left two Nerf guns with lots of Nerf ammunition.  Each night before sleeping Elder Grbin and I have Nerf fights and it's been a lot of fun.

Well, that's about it for this week.  I sure love you all. The church is true!


Elder Dowd

Hello Family,

 

Yes, it is transfers and I am getting an old companion. Elder Grbin! I am being transferred out of my area, and back to North Calgary. So Elder Orozco will stay here with another companion! I will be sad to leave him.   He is really great and I love him. But I am excited to serve with Elder Grbin again!

 

Other than that not a lot of news. I really enjoyed this area and I am kinda shocked that I am leaving, but I am really excited to work with Elder Grbin again.

 

This last week was really good. We had the Meet the President Meeting. I really enjoyed it. A lot of missionaries kinda talked a lot and made themselves look like idiots. But overall, it was good. And then on Saturday we went to the temple and it was really great.  I got to see Elder Staley again and it was really good.

 

The Calgary Stampede started this week and so Calgary has been really busy and stuff, so the work has kinda slowed down. But it will be over next week.

 

That's about all I know, but I sure love you and I will talk to you all next week and hopefully at the next library I can email pictures!

 

Love, Elder Dowd

 

Richie was online when I was at work, so I asked him if he was still a District Leader, and he said no he and Elder Grbin are Zone Leaders.  He said Elder Grbin, who was his MTC companion and is from Australia, was made Zone Leader last month, so they will be serving together.  I asked him what his responsibilities will be and he said "We collect the numbers for the Zone and then once a month all the Zone Leaders meet and have a council with the Mission President and talk about the mission. Also we report the numbers each week to the Assistants." 

 

I asked him if he goes on splits with the other missionaries.  "We go on splits with the District Leader and his companion, then the District Leader goes on splits with his District Elders."

 

I asked if the new temple in Calgary, which has it's Open House at the end of  September, is near his new area - his new Zone is North Calgary.  "We are pretty close to the new temple, but it is in the West Zone which is the Zone I was in when I was in Cochrane.  So, yea, we are close, but it's in a different Zone."

 

Then I asked him about the Mission Office and the Mission President's home if they are near him. "The Mission President's Home and the Mission Office are in the South Zone.  But, we go to the Mission Office once a week to pick up mail, etc."

Happy Canada Day!

Canada Day Celebration

Hello Family!

Yes, it was Canada Day on Sunday. It was funny in church.  We sang "O Canada" and it was hard for me not to laugh because it's not my national anthem.  As people bore their testimonies on how great Canada is and I was telling Elder Orozco that we should go bear testimony of how great America and Mexico are too, but of course, we didn't!

President Archibald left this week and President and Sister Nicholas arrived.  We haven't met them yet, but we will meet them tomorrow. It's transfers next week so I will probably get a new companion which is kind of sad.  I really like Elder Orozco.

Yesterday on p-day the stake had a big Canada celebration at the Stake Center which we went to.  Then we played soccer with a bunch of the YSA members and it was a lot of fun.

Other than that not much has happened, we have been trying to build our  teaching pool because all of the investigators we were teaching got baptized or dropped. We have been getting some referrals. There is a Fillipino lady that has come to church twice who we are meeting with this week and she is asking her fellowshipper how soon she can baptized. So she will probably be baptized. And that's pretty much all that is going on this week. We will be going to Cardston on Saturday to go to the temple so that will be fun.

I have been losing some of the weight I gained while living in Cardston with all the eating out for lunch for every day!  I have lost ten pounds in this past month!

Picture of Elder Dowd with his Primary Class in 2002!  All are serving missions.  From left to right: Elder MacDonald (Mexico), Elder Baldwin (Brazil Belem), Elder Dowd (Canada Calgary), Elder Exstrom (Indiana Indianopolis Spanish), Elder Jones (Buenos Aires South), Elder Bluth (Phillipines Cagayan).

Thanks for sending me the picture Sister Jones sent you of my old Sunday School Class!  That's really cool that we are all on missions, we must have had good leaders (and parents!).

That's pretty much it, I sure love you!

Elder Dowd

Hello Family!

 

That's cool that you met Elder Madsen. (One of Rochelle's friends told her that a guy moved into his Ward south of BYU campus and he had gone to Canada Calgary on his mission and just got home.  He said that this guy had all good things to say about Elder Dowd, including the fact that he was the funniest Elder in their mission!  Well, we had him to dinner on Sunday night and really enjoyed visiting about the mission.)

 

This last week was great we had another baptism.  Our investigator Josh got baptized.  It was really great.  The spirit was really strong. The Bishop of this ward baptized him. Tthen on Sunday Elder Orozco confirmed him.  

 

We had some other great miracles this week. We got some really solid referrals and we had a Filipino lady come to church on Sunday.  We will be teaching her this week.

 

It rained most of the week. President Archibald leaves this Sunday so I have been kinda sad about that.  I will really miss him.

 

Other than that not too much happened this week. The Book of Mormon is true. God lives and His son is Jesus Christ. We can all be together forever as a family. I love you all!

 

Love, Elder Dowd

 

PS: We are always joking with other missionaries about turtles and an Elder in my district showed me a scripture so I think you should read it.  It proves that turtles are doctrine, Songs of Solomon 2:12 - 12 The ^aflowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the ^bturtle is heard in our land;

Last Two Weeks with Mission President

This is a picture of Elder Staley, me, Sister Archibald, President Archibald, Elder Kuetell and Elder Langi in Cardston just before I got transferred to Calgary.  I still can't get the library computer to upload pictures, I asked the staff to upload this one because I had to send it to the Assistants.

It sounds like you all had a fun week! 

The first half of our week was pretty uneventful, but the second half of the week was really cool. We had a wedding for our investigator Josh who is getting baptized this Saturday. His wife is already a member.  Bishop Laycock performed the ceremony.  I was able to be one of the witnesses at the wedding.  Josh is a native living on a reserve.  Part of our area includes the Tsuu T'ina reserve.  At his wedding I realized that the Bishop and I were the only Caucasians!  I teased the Elder Orozco about being surrounded by Lamanites!

We went on exchanges on Saturday night. We helped out with a community parade and blocked traffic and that was a lot of fun. While on exchanges we talked to some Jehovah's witnesses. We volunteer at a place similar to the Boys and Girls Clubs in the U.S.

Other than that nothing too exciting happened.  We are going to the Cardston temple this week which I am looking forward to. We are going with the Zone Leaders and with a member from their Ward.  To answer your question, we serve in two Wards - The Woodbine and the Evergreen Wards.  I love Elder Orozco.  He is hard working and fun.  He knows all the areas where Grandpa Turley has lived in Mexico City.  We ate at a Mexican restaurant the other day.  The lady came and asked us if we could help serve at a dinner!    And we have a baptism this Saturday which will be very good.

We had s'mores yesterday.  It was the first time Elder Orozco has had them.  He thinks they are too sweet!  Mostly people feed us different food.  Lately we have had taquitos and burritos and it has been so yummy.  There isn't much in the way of Mexican food up here

Yea, the Calgary Temple Open House will be at the end of September and into October.  The Sister Missionaries will be serving there.

It is kind of drizzling today, but not storming.

So exciting things are happening, but the days are all just a blur.

Well, President Archibald is leaving on the 29th.  He has been a great Mission President and has been a great influence on me.  I am sad to see him leave. 

Love you all.  Bye!

Elder Dowd