Weekly Letter

Hello Family,

Sounds like everyone had a lot of fun this past week! Happy Birthday Dad and Brian. You're old! 50!

Not too much exciting stuff happened this week. Sorry, I don't really have much to say. Yesterday was Fast Sunday here because of Conference. Today we are going to play basketball. Thanks for the message from Carl Mom! That cracked me up. Tell him I love him too. A lot of people from here are going down for conference and have asked me if I want to send something or have them get something.

I met a man named Lynn Rosenvall and he knows Grandpa Turley. He also said he is going to be a speaker at the conference that Uncle Rick is coming up to Calgary for in June. Other than that not too much has been happening. We were supposed to teach a native boy this last week but he dodged us. We have a lot of prospects, but we are having a hard time helping the members invite them, but we are working hard and having fun.

Elder Staley and I got pranked by the zone leaders last P-day (the snow) so we went and switched everything in their apartment to get them back it was pretty funny because they thought that it was the Assistants that did it so they didn't even know it was us until we told them. That was about all that I can remember we did last week.

Our Stake's high councilor over missionary work is taking us to Waterton on Thursday so that should be a lot of fun (National Park in Southwest Alberta). I can't think of much else. We got fed a lot of chicken this past week. I think everyone has clued into the fact that we get fed a lot of roast and potatoes so now everyone is making us chicken. If you have any questions just ask!

I love you all. The church is true!

Love, Elder Dowd

Snow, Prank, Basketball and Church

This morning in Cardston. Snowstorm and a little help from some friends!

Hello!

I am doing pretty good. Yeah, I talked to Sister Leavitt yesterday and she told me she talked to you and will meet you this weekend. She also asked if there was anything that I wanted from the states and the only thing that I could think of were jalapeno chips and your no bake cookies that you make. If there's anything else that's small that you want to send I'm pretty sure she would be willing to bring it back. Hope you had a good birthday Mom, and Dad, I hope that you and Brian have a good birthday as well.

Not a lot happened in Cardston missionary wise this last week. I had to go to a training in Lethbridge on Tuesday. That was fun and I was able to see some missionary friends. Then on Wednesday, I held a District Meeting. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday the Alberta provincial basketball tournament came to town so it was really busy. The Cardston boys won the tournament and it's the first time in 58 years they have won so that was all that was discussed in Church the next day. The Elders in the other stake told us that someone gave a talk on just the game and didn't quote any scriptures or any doctrine. But he did quote Larry Bird and Magic Johnson!


Cardston High Basketball Team - Provincial Tournament Champions 2012

Last Monday Mom I met a man named Dale Pilling who served in your mission the same time you did. He's from here but he lives in Sacramento now. That was about all that happened this week.

I guess to answer your questions about Elder Staley we are getting along great! I would put him in my top 3 for companions, so we are having fun and all is well.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that it snowed last night and this morning we woke up to our car being covered in snow, someone (I'm pretty sure the other Elders in Cardston pranked us!)


This was fun to dig out!



Cardston Temple



Me in front of temple!



Elder Staley in front of temple!

Hope you like the pictures I sent!

Love YA,
Elder Dowd

Elder Dowd's new companion, Elder Staley from Idaho

Hello friends and family,

This week has been really nice weather and we have been walking everywhere. It did snow yesterday for five minutes, but it all melted.

Elder Staley is pretty sweet. I'm liking him a lot. He wants to get out and work hard but have fun too so I think I will enjoy our companionship.

Sounds like everyone else is having a good time. I hope that everyone is still doing well. I hope you have a good birthday this week mom!

Other than that not too much has been happening. Oh yea, Cardston is hosting the provincial basketball tournament. We can't go to the games, but there will be lots of people in town and we hope to be able to talk to many.

Here are some pictures - Elder Staley in our house; Me in front of the temple.




We were asked to bear our Testimonies in the Leavitt ward yesterday and I met the Cahoons finally. We started teaching this girl who just turned 9 and she came to church this Sunday which was good. So things should start picking up.

The Church is true, the Book is Blue, and I know it!

Love Ya!
Elder Dowd

Staying in Cardston!

Hello Family and Friends,

I am so sad to hear Grandma has been so sick and in the hospital. Please let her know I am praying for her and hope she gets well soon. Tell her I love her. Hope Dad gets well soon too.

It is transfer week which is why I am writing on Tuesday. We just got back from the Temple which was very nice. I am staying in Cardston, but Elder Anderson is getting transferred. My new companion's name is Elder Staley. That's about all I know about him. I have a really good feeling about him and the work we will do together.

Sounds like a lot has been happening this week. Not too much happened here in Cardston this last week. We had a lot of appointments cancel and that has been trying, but we have been seeing miracles as well. I have felt both of us being guided by the spirit.

Mom, you said you thought it might be hard serving here in Cardston because of so many LDS, but actually it is a lot easier because we have all the members addresses, we know exactly who is not LDS! People are so good to us here. A sister at church on Sunday handed both Elder Anderson and me a $50 bill.

I hope you enjoy working with the mission prep class mom, you should show all the prospective Elders page 162 from Preach My Gospel and have them all set a date to have someone taught by the missionaries, that would be the best mission prep for them.

That's really about all that I have to share I hope that's ok.

I sure love you all and tell Nickie Happy 19th Birthday tomorrow!

Love Elder Dowd

Congrats to Maddie for Taking State

Dear Family and Friends,

That's an exciting week you had last week! That must been a lot of fun and quite the relief to be done with basketball. I've been praying for all of you!


Eternity (laying down), Maddie, Mercedes, Jamie, Dani, and Marcy

Not too much exciting happened this week. We went on exchanges on Tuesday and, and we had free lunches every day. There is a less active family whose daughter just turned 9 and hasn't been baptized yet. She has been coming to church and we have been visiting with them so hopefully we can help her get baptized. It would have been nice if she could have been baptized sooner as the Elders have been visiting this family for several months now.

We did find this recent convert and she is from the Philippines and knows all the Filipino people in town. Her cousin has been reading the Book of Mormon so hopefully we should teach him soon.

I really like my companion, Elder Anderson. We are working so hard!

So we have a lot of exciting prospects coming up. We spoke twice in church yesterday. In one ward they were talks on Counsel to Youth. In the other ward it was a last minute talk on how Temple Work is Missionary Work, which was interesting because we have been trying to involve the members here in Proclaiming the Gospel but they are all content with just doing temple work so I shared Moroni 10:31 and explained the three fold mission of the church.

Yesterday we went to dinner with a family called the Schows and they asked me if I know the Bradfords, and I told them yes, and they said as soon as we left they were gonna call them and ask. Then we met with the Bishop of the Leavitt Ward out in Leavitt, and he said he served in Montreal. His name is Bishop Leavitt! There are a lot of people with the same last names - Leavitt, Pitcher, Beavan, Cahoon, Beazer and Olson.

Well that's about all that's happened this week. I love you all. The church is true!

Elder Dowd

PS Mom I think you asked a while ago about one of my ties so I took a picture of my ugly tie collection for you.


Oh and there are people going down to Montana all the time and a family was nice enough to get me jalapeno chips so you don't need to send me anything. I am very satisfied!

Family Day was Yesterday

Dear Family and Friends,

Yea, the library was closed yesterday, not for President's Day, but for Family Day in Canada. Even though all the Provinces don't celebrate it, Alberta does. My companion and I were able to go through the temple yesterday here in Calgary. That was really nice. It was a session with two people going through for their first time. I was glad we got to go.

It was fun to hear that Maddie's team won their first game at the State tournament. Good luck Maddie in tomorrow's game. That picture was funny of you about to take a shot, don't you like how they seem to get a shot right when you blink?

Mom, the other Elders in my District met your missionary friend, Maureen Barfuss. You said her maiden name is Pitcher? You should find out who her parents are because there are a lot of Pitcher's in Cardston.

We had Zone Conference this past week and so on Thursday we got to go to Taber for it. Taber is the corn capitol of Canada! It was a really good conference. The theme was on faith.

Then we had an interesting week because all of our appointments were canceling, but it worked out ok, because we were guided by the Holy Ghost this week. We were out walking and we felt like we should go to the hospital and visit our Ward Mission leader's mom, and we did. Then we asked if there was anyone else who could use a visit and the nurse told us there was. We went and talked to this old man who is 95 and he was trying to share the gospel with his nurse who wasn't a member. He gave us a referral and we gave him a blessing. It was really cool. We also just met a lot of people that are really helpful and want to do missionary work which is really great.

We went to church Sunday from 8:30 to 4:30 and that was good. The then temple yesterday that was the highlight of our week!

Hope you are all still doing well. Keep up the faith!

Love, Elder Dowd

P.S. Thanks for sending my friend's letters. I really liked the picture of Elder Skousen with the alligator!

Happy Valentine's Day

Hello Family and Friends,

Hope you all have a good Valentine's Day. Here's a valentine note for Carl because he loves cards, so Mom print it out and give it to him.

"Happy Valentines day Carl! I sure love you and hope you have a fantastic day!
Thanks for all the letters that you send me! Love Elder Dowd"

Tell Auntie Tye and the Browns thanks for the Valentine!

Everything is good here. We only had 1 new investigator this week, but things are going good with her. Her dad is a recent convert and she told us that she just wants to find the truth. We taught her on Tuesday. Then we went on exchanges on Friday and she was taught then as well.

Elder Anderson is doing great, he's pretty much training me which is nice because with my other missionaries who I was training I felt like I had to do all the work. He is great and participates fully in the missionary effort. We still have 3 weeks of the 12 week training program and it is going well. When I went to Lethbridge last week for leadership training, he went on a exchange with another Elder.

I have been really tired, and no Mom, I don't think I have mono or anything. Elder Anderson and talk at night. My glands aren't swollen and I am doing well.

You asked where eat for free. We eat for free at Subway, Dairy Queen, a bakery called the Lighthouse, a pizza place called Pizzas and Cream, and a bed and breakfast called Cobblestone. We get fed dinners every night as well. So we are getting well fed and we don't really need to buy groceries because everyone gives us food as well.

Mom, the Zone Leaders ran into your mission friend, Sister Barfuss yesterday and she told them to say hi to me.

There's hardly any snow. The weather has been really warm here. It was like 10 degrees Celsius yesterday and its been around 4 or 5 most of the time. Other then that not much news.


Elder Pikula came to the temple on Friday with the Plewrights so I got to have lunch with them. Elder Pikula is training a Canadian Elder who is waiting for his VISA and so he is on a 3 leg.


That was pretty much my week. And it went by pretty fast.

Sure love you all and hope things are going well!

Love, Elder Dowd