Elder Izak Louw

Happy to Be a Missionary

2010-04-23T15:11:00.000-07:00

Still Working, Teaching, and Learning

2010-04-23T15:07:00.001-07:00

We just did training at zone conference on "the prayer of faith." We spent a week preparing it and it really taught me a lot. I’m still working on making my prayers better and then making my actions better to follow up with them. We have been so blessed to find a lot of new potential investigators that have been inviting us back and a few new investigators who are really solid. Two weeks ago we had four investigators come to church. Sadly only one came yesterday but it will pick up again this coming week. Man I just love sharing the gospel with those who have a humble heart and are willing to listen. I think that without fail every time we talk to someone, they had a different view about Mormons but now they understand the LDS Church) a lot more and are almost always more interested in what we have to say. Sometimes it only takes five minutes or less before they realize how different we are from what they thought. There is a talk called "Come unto Christ" by Elder Eyring (1989) about member missionary work. He says that the Lord will send his prepared people to his prepared servants. It has been so neat to see the blessings of the Lord come upon our companionship as we try to prepare ourselves each time we leave our apartment. Sometimes it’s so hard to win our inner battles over pride and other sins but the lord sure blesses you when you do. (Ha, that sounded kind of prideful....didn’t mean it like that!)

2010-04-23T14:44:00.000-07:00

Trust in the Lord

2010-04-23T14:15:00.000-07:00

I have almost been in Albany for two weeks now...it’s going by so fast, each day goes by faster and faster and when I think it can’t go by any faster it just speeds up. I have a couple rug burns…Elder Mecham and I decided to have a little tussle last night… ha, ha. He weighs about 50 lbs. more than me so it was pretty tough. I put up a good fight but in the end he was just too much for me! He is a great companion, I really have been blessed to have such good companions that I get along with so well. That was one of my biggest concerns before I started my mission but the Lord decided to bless so I wouldn’t have to worry about it too much. The work is going good here, plenty to stay busy. We have 5 great investigators. We have a few people who are coming to church on a regular basis which has been the greatest struggle my whole mission....getting people to come. It was nice to come into an area where the missionaries before me had put in some hard work. Being a zone leader puts a lot more on your plate and is pretty stressful but I’m beginning to cope with it now. Sat. night one of the members of the bishopric called and asked if I would give a talk the next day and if I would be the concluding speaker. I had a cool experience with it. l was sitting there in my seat as church was starting and was as nervous as a jitter bug. I don’t think I have been that nervous for a talk since my farewell talk. I don’t know why but I just was. Anyway, as I sat there I just kept repeating to myself the scripture Prov. 3:5-6 "trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy path"... but still nothing changed, I was still as nervous as ever. I had not spoken in front of 200+ people for about a year not to mention my limited time of preparation. As the special musical number ended the Bishop announced my talk and then I began my walk up to the pulpit, my nerves on edge with every step. When I looked out over the large congregation I seemed to forget my nervousness, in fact it was as if I had never been nervous at all. I don’t remember the transition between nervous to not nervous, it just happened. My talk was smooth and I was comfortable the whole time, I even forgot my notes at my seat but didn’t need them at all. As I sat down my mind was brought back to the Lord..." and he shall direct they paths"... I knew the Lord had blessed me but it was not until after the trial of my faith and he was just waiting to see if I would trust in him. I had treasured up the word, I had prayed, and I had shown faith...that’s all the Lord needed me to do. What made it all worth it was after sacrament meeting one of our investigators who just showed up to church 3 weeks ago expressed her feelings about the talk. I love being able to share the gospel and the light it brings into people’s lives. Well tonight we are going to have a full apartment, tomorrow is zone conference and so a bunch of missionaries are coming to sleep over so they don’t have to wake up so early to drive.

The Badge of Service

2010-04-23T14:11:00.000-07:00

Tons of Work!

2010-04-23T14:01:00.000-07:00

Being a zone leader is so crazy, especially the first week because of all the meetings. The first week you had a meeting with the Pres. and his assistants to organize what will be taught in a month at zone conference and the theme of the transfer. It was like a 7-8 hour meeting. This week we are going to two districts in our zone. There are 12 missionaries in our zone counting us in five different areas. Elder Mecham and I train the other missionaries at the first district meeting and at the zone conferences. After that the district leaders train at their district meetings(we go to them as well and sometimes give input). On top of all that we have a massive area with tons of people, over 100,000. We work the outer edges of Albany and there is another set of missionaries that don't have a car who work down town. My first few days were so great. We had the opportunity to teach some amazing lessons to some amazing people. I was so tired by Sunday night and my brain was fried but it's so worth it. I love it when there is tons of work to do.

2010-04-01T06:37:00.000-07:00

Transfer to Albany and Zone Leader

2010-04-01T06:29:00.000-07:00

I’m getting transferred to Albany (the biggest city in our mission boundaries.) I’m going to be serving with Elder Meacham. I have known him for a large part of my mission. He came out one transfer after me. I’m going to be a zone leader so that means my last 3 months are going to be busy, busy, busy…a lot more meetings, trainings, and traveling. I think it’s going to be my greatest challenge so far on the mission but I’m looking forward to it and with faith that I’ll be able to grow from the experience. I’ll miss Malone and the people but I’m excited to go.

Please thank everyone for all letters and gifts they sent for my birthday. I don’t have time to write them all back.

I just found out that this older lady I was teaching in Greene just got baptized last week!!!! I was so excited to hear that. She writes me and it’s so fun to hear from someone I have taught. Most of the people I know who have gotten baptized write to me.

Well I love the work. I love the gospel (Heavenly Father and his plan.) And I love you all!!!

Beautiful NY Winters!

2010-04-01T06:26:00.000-07:00

My Ticket Home

2010-04-01T06:21:00.000-07:00

Sister Hansen (the secretary in the mission office) called me last week to ask if I was going to be picked up (at the end of my mission)or fly home cuz she was buying my tickets and stuff... holy cow I can't believe that.

Letter from Greene

2010-04-01T06:14:00.000-07:00

We are working with a couple cool families right now and we just got one of them to agree to come to church next week. I recently got a letter from a lady in my last area, Greene, responding to a letter I wrote her. In her letter she thanked me for walking up to her one summer day and talking to her because now her life has changed. I can't write everything that was in the letter but basically it lifted me up and helped me to realize that even though some times I may think I'm not making a difference out here...to some people I really am but just might not know it. She now has a baptismal date for April. I bore my testimony in church about it in an impromptu talk I gave because there was only one speaker. It really touched me more then I realized and as I began to speak, as I stood at the pulpit I began to feel the Savior's love as I spoke to the people of the congregation and my leaky pipes began to flow. By small and simple things are great things brought to pass and I know the Lord loves all of us and is so pleased when we enter his fold. I truly have a testimony of the Savior and his love for us and that this work we are engaged in is true.

Tricky

2010-02-21T16:23:00.000-08:00

River Mist

2010-02-21T16:22:00.000-08:00

Elder Louw

2010-02-21T16:19:00.000-08:00

PLEASE PRAY

2010-02-21T16:06:00.000-08:00

Please pray for the missionaries and the investigators!

All Things Cheerfully

2010-02-21T16:00:00.001-08:00

We are struggling to find any solid investigators but are definitely not giving up. I have had a renewed enthusiasm for teaching people about the Book of Mormon and giving out more copies after this last zone conference. Pres. Bulloch gave a great/amazing training on the Book of Mormon and its purpose and role in our day. He gave us a challenge at the end of the zone conference (from “Preach My Gospel” in section 5) to go through the Book of Mormon and highlight every time we see the name Jesus Christ or any other of his many names or references to him or the atonement. You should try it. I started today and can already tell I’m going to be doing a lot of high lighting. I gave a talk in church yesterday and based it on the talk by Elder Oaks called "The Challenge to Become." Look it up on lds.org. A great talk that really helps put into perspective what our purpose is and why we have all of the teaching in the scriptures and all of the teachings of the modern prophets and apostles...to help us become like the father!
Man, I’m learning a lot out here. Mainly that it’s important to "endure to the end" amidst all the rejection and let down. Good thing I have so many good teachers and examples out here and all of your prayers because I wouldn’t be able to go on without them. A scripture that has helped me out is D&C 132:17 "...all things....cheerfully..."

Still Cold...Still Tracting

2010-02-21T15:29:00.000-08:00

The other day it was zero degrees and windy and it was misserable. I got a sore throat just from breathing in the cold dry air but finally today it feels better. It's been snowing really lightly here for the past like four days but not a lot of accumulation so far, just about a foot. Elder Burbank and I were blessed to find a new investigator. He was at this house way back in the woods with no trespasing signs all over so we were not sure if we should go but we ended up just trying it anyways and it worked out great. Also I ran into something I had never experienced before on the mission or in my life. I ran into people who are a part of a reorganized church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints. They read from the Book of Mormon but have different beliefs. It was interesting and so weird.

Technical Troubles/ Love the Letters

2010-01-25T12:44:00.000-08:00

I'm about to put my foot through this stupid computer. I just got done re-writing a long email to you that got erased the first time I tried writing it. So I just spent and hour trying to write you again but both of the emails got erased because of this stupid computer. Well now my time is up and I have to go. Tell everyone I really appreciated all the letters.

New Distrct Leader Duties

2010-01-25T12:41:00.000-08:00

Being district leader...well I have to make phone calls on Monday night, Wednesday and Sunday (at least I think so ha ha) to collect the weekly numbers of people talked to, new investigators, and lessons. I’m also supposed to check up and see if they are having any problems or to see if I can help them out in any way. I will be going on what we call exchanges which is where we swap companions for the day and night then swap back. It gives missionaries the opportunity to see how other missionaries work, to learn from other missionaries, and it’s good if two missionaries don’t get along then I can try to give advice to help them or at least tell President Bulloch so he can. I talked to the zone leaders last night and they said that the role of a district leader is changing a little starting this transfer. They said I’m going to be getting more responsibilities so Tuesday I’ll find out what that means. It makes my nights a lot busier. My new Companion is Elder Burbank from Wyoming.

District Leader Call

2010-01-25T12:15:00.000-08:00

Elder Johnson and I saw a bald eagle in town here like a week ago.
I bowled a 196 the other day. A little disappointed I didn't get a 200 but hey what can you do. As soon as I have my own shoes and ball again I'll be shooting for a 250 ha ha ha.
Well it's transfer week and this one hit me hard. I'm training a brand new guy and I'm the district leader now, so there will be some big changes going on around here. I'll need your prayers more then ever now. I have only been here 6 weeks to learn the area so not that long. I still feel like I don't know where I'm going half the time. I think part of it is because I drive the car every day cuz Elder Johnson doesn't have his driving papers out here yet so he can't drive. I don't have a lot of time to look at a map. Hopefully my new comp can drive.

Love from Elder Louw

2009-12-28T09:55:00.000-08:00

Love the Members in Malone!

2009-12-28T09:43:00.000-08:00

This fast Sunday was a great one for me. I didn't mind fasting because out here on the mission you can never fast too much. I'll take every blessing I can get, or get for my investigators/less actives we are working with. A lady yesterday got up and bore testimony that she use to be scared when people would come over when the missionaries were at her house cuz she didn't know what her friends would think but that the other night when we just happened to stop by and it was her daughter's b-day and people were coming and going she didn't feel a bit embarrassed. In fact she said that she was proud to have us in her home. It just made us feel so good. The lady who said that has only been a member for 7 years and they have the most wonderful fam (young couple, three kids...a missionaries dream fam.) The branch here is small but has some of the greatest members. They are really good to us. Not very often but if we don't have anything to do besides tract and we are tired of doing that, we will stop by a members home to warm up, grab some water and share a spiritual thought. Missionaries are a part of members lives out here. Not like home where you only see the missionaries once a year if your lucky.

Bizarre Foods in Greene

2009-12-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

Fact: Tripe (cows stomach) always tastes like cow pies even when it is deep fried because you have to chew it and the batter gets swallowed first.

Why am I eating this? Why am I smiling? Why does my breathe still taste like a cow pie now that my plate is empty?

Thanks for the dinner invite!

One More Good-bye to Elder Williams and Goodbye FOREVER to Tripe

2009-12-05T05:54:00.000-08:00

Moving to Malone 11-30-2009

2009-12-05T05:37:00.000-08:00

It’s hard being in Malone now. I feel so far away from everything and since I had been in Greene so long it was like I was leaving home again and going to a far away place were I would know nobody. But it’s all working out. My new comp Elder Johnson is a cool, really funny guy from California. He is trying to make me feel at home. The branch is really small, about 30-40 people show up. I had a ten min talk yesterday for my first Sunday (didn’t know I was speaking till five minutes before sacrament, it was great.) Then Elder Johnson and I taught the combined meeting (the missionaries always teach every 5th Sunday.) So they put me to work fast in this branch. It’s sort of weird though cuz pretty much all the people are converts to the church and so most of them don’t really know the system of things. Our teaching pool is pretty small, only like 5-6 investigators but we have been doing a lot of finding so hopefully we will be able to pick it up soon.

Good-bye Greene

2009-12-05T05:36:00.000-08:00

Envying the "Greeny" 11-24-2009

2009-12-05T05:27:00.000-08:00

Transfer time…I’m going way north… all the way to the Canadian border…a little town call Malone. About the really cool lady and her 4 boys we have been teaching. Well let me put it this way...she has read the Book of Mormon, the 2010 manual for gospel principles, a few Ensigns, and is now working on the D&C/Pearl. She is just eating it up. She has a date for baptism for the 19 of December. I’m really sad I’m not going to be here for it. This same thing has happened in every single one of my areas I have been in on my mission. Work my buns off…find someone…start teaching them and then I get transferred and they get baptized without me. O well at least the "greeny" will have something to look forward to with Elder Williams.

Are Missionaries Supposed To Model?

2009-12-05T05:25:00.000-08:00

Finally...A Baptism...11-16-2009

2009-12-05T05:22:00.000-08:00

We finally have a lady with a baptismal date and she came to church yesterday and she is eating it up and loves it. I'm so excited for her!

Fun With Friends

2009-12-05T05:19:00.000-08:00

November 9, 2009

2009-12-05T05:12:00.000-08:00

Well I need to make this brief because I need to go home and get some water. Yesterday I had a 101.5 fever so I got a hold of a doctor the is LDS and helps the mission and got a prescription. Hopefully I'll start feeling better. No I don't need any shirts but I do need a new credit card... I had to use it to get into the Binghamton Elders' apartment last week and I broke it.

Great Moments in Greene

2009-12-05T05:11:00.000-08:00

October, 26, 2009

2009-12-05T05:03:00.000-08:00

Today we are cutting off part of our p-day to go help some people move a piano, then dinner, then a lesson with different girl. The spirit was guiding us to a lot of people and we have had a lot of really good lessons. We are planting seeds in this area right now. We are just waiting for them to blossom. Too bad I'll probably be gone by then but that's OK. The Lord will put me where he needs me.

Mission Conference 10-19-2009

2009-12-05T04:59:00.000-08:00

Amazing Mission Conference 10-19-2009

2009-12-05T04:43:00.000-08:00

At the mission conference, Elder Marlin K. Jensen and Elder Cook of the Seventy and their wives spoke to us. It was so amazing. Elder Jensen knows so much about church history. We learned about faith. Pistis-(faith) a mutual trust or loyalty between two persons based on a contract, backed by collateral. Pistis is the Greek word for faith, so when St. Paul or Peter or any one in the New Testament was talking about faith they were probably referring to that definition. It’s good to think that faith in God is not a one way thing. The collateral part is HUGE. When we put up more collateral (are willing to obey more of the commandments) we are given more faith by God. That’s a very simplified version. Alma 32:27 plays a big part in the teachings. Also at the conference there was a competition about who knew their companions best... Elder Williams and I won!

Good Times in Greene

2009-12-05T04:39:00.000-08:00

6 Months in Greene 10-13-2009

2009-12-05T04:33:00.000-08:00

I'm going to be staying here in Greene another six weeks so that will make it a 6 month stay here. Thanks for the package. Don't send me any more candy though. To tell you the truth I'm not huge on candy any more. Well I don't really have the time or attitude today for writing all the stories that have been going on this week. Sorry, just not in a writing mood today. I love you and appreciate you! My testimony continues to grow!

Same 2 Elders

2009-12-05T04:30:00.000-08:00

I LOVE THIS CHURCH! 10-5-2009

2009-12-05T04:22:00.000-08:00

Conference was wonderful. I loved it so much. Missionary work in between was terribly slow but the messages were so good it didn’t even phase me. As a whole I felt as though about 90% of the conference was directed toward "LOVE" and every aspect of it. Love with in our families and to others. It was really inspiring. I liked that father son talk in priesthood session. I know that this church is true because the spirit has confirmed it to me time and time again as my faith has been tried (Ether 12:6). I know that the messages we share (the restoration, the plan of salvation, the gospel of Jesus Christ, etc.) are true because of the answers they give to life’s greatest questions in a simplistic form along with a confirmation of the Spirit. I have a firm testimony and knowledge of the need in our lives of the constant companionship/guidance of the Holy Ghost in every step of our lives. I would not dream of doing missionary work without it or making any other decision in my life without it. I LOVE THIS CHURCH! The plain and precious truths about the nature and divinity of god have been restored. The keys of the priesthood needed to seal families are on earth again and the simple plan of happiness is readily available to all who seek it. We have a prophet on the earth! This is my testimony, in the sacred name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

2 Elders

2009-12-05T04:17:00.000-08:00

2 Small and Simple Things 9-28-2009

2009-12-05T04:01:00.000-08:00

1. We went to see this 17 year old girl. We had tried her about 3 other times but she was never home. This time her mom answered and said she was in the shower but then all of the sudden she popped around the corner and started talking to us. She and her mom came out on the porch and we all sat down and had "porch party" (as they called it here). We answered their questions about why bad things happen to good people and talked about making good decisions in life. Then her older sister walked out and started asking us more questions, really direct ones like, "what makes the baptism so holy? is it the holy water? or what?" We spent another 20 minutes answering her questions and explaining the symbolism of baptism and why we do it. She said that she really needed to do that, ha ha, we were really excited.
2. While going to another appointment, we decided to knock on the next door apartment. A guy answered and said, "Hey I recognize you guys. Don't you drive a red corolla?" We said yes and then he said, "You guys have waved to me twice...nobody ever waves at me! Why don't you guys come back next week. I'm busy right now doing business but I would like to talk to you guys." It was such a neat experience because it was by such a small and simple thing. Alma 37:6 Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.

Joseph Smith, The Prophet

2009-12-05T03:56:00.000-08:00

Good in Greene-September 21, 2009

2009-12-05T03:48:00.000-08:00

Everything is going pretty good. Elder Williams is a great companion. He makes the work joyful. I'm learning a lot right now. We have been blessed lately. Friday this cool old guy who is retired took us around for 5 hours to places that are far away that we don't get to very often unless we have a specific reason for going and we ended up finding two new people. One of them invited us for dinner this Friday. I love watching people progress towards coming back to church and going to the temple and watching people accept the gospel.

Bowling in Greene 9-14-2009

2009-12-05T03:40:00.000-08:00

September 14, 2009

2009-12-05T03:27:00.000-08:00

I don't think I have been getting enough sleep to compensate for being so active and stressed and now I have a sore throat. Sundays are so busy for us. We never get a break, but the Lord has been blessing us a lot lately for working diligently. We are going bowling today to have a little fun and get the stress off my mind. I try not to get stressed but some times I just can't help it. O well, I'm loving it.

Working Hard ...Walking Tall

2009-09-08T19:53:00.000-07:00

Naps and a New Companion

2009-09-08T19:02:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I get so overwhelmed that I think I might as well just keel over and die. If I thought I knew what stress was before I came out on my mission I was wrong. Don’t get me wrong I love what I’m doing out here even though the outcomes are very sparse. Sometimes I feel like they are expecting me to literally be superman and remember and do a million things at once. Once I feel like I’m starting to get a hold of things they ask us to do ten more things on top of the rest. Yesterday I just had enough. I couldn’t take it any more so I decided not to write anyone and just go take a nap. I feel like I could use another nap right now. We were trained by our zone leaders today for about 3 hours and now I’m trying to remember it all. Days like today can be very overwhelming.
Elder Williams is a great companion and missionary. He is constantly trying to do things go serve me and make things easier for me. He is really enjoyable to serve with because he has been out just as long as me, he is a hard worker, I feel like we carry an even load, he is very knowledgeable, I learn scriptural things from him every day, he is really easy to talk to, he is not afraid to talk to people, he is a super cleaner/organizer (which is such a change from living with other missionaries…I love it), and the list goes on.
We are meeting new people and having a good time doing it, teaching some really good meaningful lessons and trying to help people progress.

Teaching the Gospel

2009-08-23T05:26:00.000-07:00

Impromptu Teaching

2009-08-23T05:18:00.000-07:00

It’s so cool to teach people about the gospel when you are living your life worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost. I had to do an impromptu lesson in church yesterday because we had an unexpected investigator show up (which was great). So during the last fifteen minutes of sacrament I went out and started to prepare a lesson on the plan of salvation tailored to her needs. (She is the one with all the weird concerns like excommunication but hey at least she comes to church). She had been taught the plan of salvation about a year ago by missionaries but since we have picked her up we have been working on her concerns rather then basic lessons. So I conjured up a lesson as fast as I could, taped some things on the chalk board, wrote some scriptures up there and had a prayer in my heart. When the lesson began I had inspiration "flowing through my bones." ha ha. I had Elder Westra go get a video we recently acquired about questions of the soul and life in general. And from then on out I taught the plan of salvation with detail of various parts. Some members came in so that helped a lot. It was a great experience to feel like I could relay that beautiful information using scriptures I had just found 2 minutes before and be completely comfortable because I was trying to follow the Spirit.

New Mission President

2009-08-23T05:06:00.000-07:00

My new mission president is AWESOME. I love him. He has more scripture smarts then anyone I have ever come into contact with in my whole life. He has an amazing way of teaching the scriptures as well. He has helped me a lot and I feel very close to him. I really think I’m going to enjoy the next 10 months. We have had two district meetings with him and just had our first zone conference last week. It was great. He gave a wonderful talk on pride by President Ezra Taft Benson. I think it was a conference address in 1989. Check it out.

A picture and bio of President Kevin M. Bulloch can be found at:
http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/56826/New-mission-presidents.html

No! I did not go swimming!

2009-08-04T06:01:00.000-07:00

Weak Joints...Simple Truth

2009-08-04T05:50:00.000-07:00

I got pretty dehydrated the other day when we played flag football because it was so stinkin hot and humid that I sweated like crazy. And add this to the list of my weak joint injuries. I dislocated my left shoulder again. Not super serious so no need to worry. Just popped out and popped back in. It will be sore for a few days then I'll be good.

The gospel is simple...if people would just take the time to read and listen...o the world would be a different place!

Wildlife in NY

2009-08-04T05:47:00.000-07:00

Skating for Change

2009-08-04T05:42:00.000-07:00

We met up with this boy, Travis, last night who I skated with for about fifteen minutes last week. It was really fun. He has questions about death and god and wants to quit smoking so I'm excited about him. Kind of a skater punk but people change...especially with the gospel in their lives.

Riding Greene

2009-08-04T05:40:00.000-07:00

Prepare then Pray

2009-08-04T05:28:00.000-07:00

So the lady we met last week was our last stop for tonight and as we were leaving her next door neighbor (a recently reactivated member) I said a quick prayer that the spirit would guide us. After we had small talked for about 3-5 minutes I said the opening prayer to our conversation and prayed that the spirit would be with each of us to guide us and direct us to truth. We spent the next hour and a half answering questions she had but the most amazing part of it was Elder Westra and I were quoting scriptures like we never had before. I was pulling scriptures out of places I didn't know I had. Left and Right. It was one of, if not the most spirit directed lessons I ever had. It was the absolute epitome of D&C 11:21 and 84:85. We have been working hard and studying, "treasuring up", and facing discouragement every day but the Lord knows when we really need him and he is there every time. Last night the Lord was by my side and I know that for a fact. The scriptures I came up with and the things I said were not my own. I don't know if that lady will end up getting baptized for sure but I do know two things. I gained a greater testimony of the gospel and I planted a powerful seed in the Lord's way!
Always pray for guidance and always prepare yourself because if we pray for guidance but don't prepare the spirit will not guide.

Makin Sense of the Mish

2009-08-04T05:25:00.000-07:00

Stayin Happy

2009-08-04T05:12:00.000-07:00

On Friday, July 11th, the zone leaders came into our area and worked a blitz with us. We went to look up a former investigator and it turned out to be really cool. This lady had investigated for just over a year but reached a state were no more progress was being made because of a few hang ups so the missionaries dropped her. When we got there she was really nice and welcoming. She was surprised to see us because she thought missionaries would never stop again because she was not progressing. Well turns out she had not picked up the Book of Mormon since the missionaries last visit but that morning we stopped by she pulled it out and read a little. I told her I don't believe in coincidences and she said she didn't either. We had a really good talk and I mentioned something about the great apostasy. She said she had never heard of it. So I gave her a long scripture chain about it and she said she would study them all. It all went so well. I don't know if she will get baptized but I think we shed some really good light on her and I felt really good our visit. So the work is going forward and I'm stayin happy.

Is Elder Louw the Smallest Missionary?

2009-08-04T05:06:00.000-07:00

Testimony Grows by Small and Simple Things

2009-08-04T04:53:00.000-07:00

I gave a talk last Sunday and I had the opportunity to bear my testimony yesterday. It was a really good experience for me. I have come to realize that the way the Lord keeps me moving along in the gospel is by small and simple means. I can't remember any huge magnificent moments that have really made my testimony. It is all simple, small things. I think the Lord does that to me to keep me wanting more because I constantly forget the little things so I am in constant need for more testimony building events. The Lord is playing a huge part in my life but through small and simple ways. I also feel very strongly about bearing testimony. I feel that my testimony has been strengthened by bearing my testimony. I felt the Holy Ghost touch me yesterday as I bore it to the congregation. I encourage all of you to bear your testimony whenever the spirit directs you too. If you feel your testimony is lacking, get up and bear testimony of what you do know is true and the rest will be strengthened.

Wet and Wild

2009-08-04T04:49:00.000-07:00

Craziest Adventure

2009-08-04T04:27:00.000-07:00

Here's one of the craziest adventures I've had yet. So there are these investigators we have. I guess they have been investigating for a long time and have just not been making any progress, basically they just like the missionaries, but they are cool none the less. So we went over and when we knocked on their door nobody answered. So we walked around back and there they were trying to get their one horse back in its stall. They are moving so they have to sell their horses. Anyways he would not go in his stall. He was just running around. So they would try to corner him and every time he would either run past so fast or someone would move cuz they thought they were going to get plastered by a 900 pound horse (I almost did a couple of times.) So we finally had the horse cornered in the far end of the field when Jerry decided to hit him on the butt with a board because he was mad at him. Not a good idea. The horse decided he had had enough so he jumped the electric fence, landing on it, then darting out toward the road. We went out after him up this hill on another farmer's land. It was this nasty marshy wetland and I got soaked in my suit pants and white shirt. Mud and horse poop were all over my shoes. It took about and hour and a half but we finally got the horse back in the coral. So now I can say I chased a horse in my white shirt and tie through a swamp. Not many missionaries can say that. My suit definitely needed dry cleaning. Don't worry my shoes don't smell bad any more. I took the hose to them.

Green in Greene

2009-06-20T13:44:00.000-07:00

Country Living in Greene

2009-06-20T13:36:00.000-07:00

I'm now in GREENE with Elder Westra who is from West Jordon. He is a good guy. We live in the basement apartment of the branch president's house. President Brigmond is retired military. He tells the funniest stories. We have our own washer and drier so that's nice but there is no where that's good to shop in Greene. It's expensive and small. So sometimes we get rides down to Wal-Mart in Binghamton. Another good note about Greene is that the library computers here are cool, they let me look at all my pictures. this area is the most country I have seen on my mission. There are lots of farms and everything's rolling green hills. It's really pretty compared to my last area.

Working the Streets of Glenville

2009-06-20T13:33:00.000-07:00

Teaching by the Spirit is Great

2009-06-20T13:27:00.000-07:00

This last week was not high in numbers but we found a new investigator and he is really cool. He is the son of a less active member who has not been to church in like 40 years. He was raised Catholic by his dad but is really open to everything. He had been gone for school the whole time I have been here so I had only met him once when he was back on a weekend. But school is over now and he has moved back in with his parents. He is 27 and just graduated with a masters in phys-ed. Anyways to the good stuff... we went back on Thursday for our appointment with him and taught him the plan of salvation but first answered some of his questions...like why do we believe in god? It was really fun because Elder Taylor answered, then we taught him the plan of salvation mixed with temples, and then I bore testimony to him of why I believe in God and it's because of this plan which includes coming to earth in a family. It was probably the most scriptural/testimony based plan of salvation I have ever taught! Now I don't know if he is going to be baptized or anything but I loved teaching that lesson. We gave him a Book of Mormon after and a few assignments. He was all for it. I'm excited to go back.

Thumbs Up for a Successful First Year!

2009-06-20T13:23:00.000-07:00

HIGHLIGHTS of the 1 YEAR MARK

2009-06-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

Elder Taylor and I had a party by ourselves last night celebrating our year mark and our time together in Glenville because we both got transferred out. The area is becoming a zone leader area and so we both got the boot. We got a gift box of goodies for a party with festive silly string, balloons, and poppers...it was really fun.

So Elder Taylor and I went around yesterday teaching and saying goodbye to people. One of the houses we stopped at was a partially active member. She has bad depression so we always go over to cheer her up. As we were standing in her doorway I had the impression we should sing her some hymns. So I said I would be right back. I went to the car and got my little hymn book. I came back and asked her if we could go outside to sit on the bench in the shade. At first she was not for the idea as she does not like to leave her house. She finally decided it would be good to get some fresh air and so we went out. Elder Taylor and I chose a hymn (hymn 26 but with to the melody of "Come Though Fount of Every Blessing") and then we sang one of her favorites, "A Poor Way Fairing Man of Grief", and then we sang Elder Taylor's favorite, "Lead Kindly Light". By the time we left there was a smile on her face...she was beaming. I had only sung a hymn to someone once before on my mission. That was only the second time. I loved being able to brighten her day with a hymn. That was the highlight of my day.

MISSIONARY MODELS

2009-06-20T12:54:00.000-07:00

Inside Out

2009-06-20T12:46:00.000-07:00

Our mission president has really focused us on repenting and purifying our lives. I really think I have gained a new "knowledge" of the real sincerity of repentance and of purifying ourselves. I think it is a lot easier to change our outside appearance then our inside. But we have to recognize the difference there or we will fail in life. We have to be able to conquer the natural man. Personally I don't think I could do it alone. There are too many of my weaknesses but through our Savior and sincerity we can over come the natural man and change our desires and inner selves. The end of Alma 32 gives some good details how to do this.

Thanks for all your love and support, Izak

Ball with the Boys

2009-06-20T12:44:00.000-07:00

More B Ball

2009-06-20T12:43:00.000-07:00

B Ball with Louw and Taylor

2009-06-20T12:42:00.000-07:00

Fun & Flab

2009-06-20T12:38:00.001-07:00

We went to a stake picnic. There was about 10 other missionaries there, too bad our zone leaders are lame and didn't tell us we could dress down. Elder Taylor and I were the only missionaries dressed in a white shirt and tie. But it's OK, we still got into the games that were going on. I mostly just played soft ball and it was pretty fun. Then later we went and played some basketball with some boys at the church. I'm so dang sore today, every muscle in my body is hurting. Being a missionary really gets you out of shape.

YIKES! I see fish!

2009-06-20T12:36:00.000-07:00

April Fool's Fish

2009-06-20T12:22:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the April Fool's Joke... A sister in the ward bought live goldfish and delivered them to Elder Taylor. He put the fish in the kitchen sink before going to bed. By morning when Elder Louw went into the kitchen, the water had drained out of the sink and all the little dead fish were laying around. Not exactly the way we had planned it! It would have been great to have had it executed perfectly, but maybe this will end up being a funny story to tell...at least another version of the family tradition.

Happy at Church!

2009-06-20T12:19:00.000-07:00

Coming to church is SOOOOO Important!!!!!!!

2009-06-20T12:12:00.000-07:00

Our investigators are still progressing but not really coming to church. One investigator already sat in his house for 14 weeks because of surgery, then broke his leg(due to complications) and now has to sit in his house for another 4 weeks. I feel way bad for him. We gave him a blessing and I think he is starting to see the light. We have been making some head way with some less actives we have recently met. It's been really fun too cuz there is this guy who we just met and he is a returned missionary but now works as a flight attendant and just doesn't really come any more cuz he gets busy. Ya ya, poor excuse I know but we are working with him now and he has the best stories.

picnic anyone?

2009-06-20T12:09:00.000-07:00

Back to Work

2009-06-20T12:08:00.000-07:00

2009-06-20T11:27:00.000-07:00

I am staying with Elder Taylor for another 6 weeks. I'm really excited about that. The work is slowing down a little in the teaching pool department. We only have 6-8 right now and still nobody with a baptismal date but the Lord is still blessing us all over. What I have learned is that you just have to be working hard and being obedient (as much as possible) so that when the Lord decides to bless you for your efforts you will be ready to receive the blessings. Like Sunday and Monday for example. Sunday every thing we planned but church fell through. We couldn't find anyone to teach. It was just a terrible day but I kept my chin up, stayed optimistic, and planned for Monday. Monday rolled around and we had a killer day because we were ready and working hard. We taught four lessons, had one of our investigators come to church to watch a movie, and he even brought his daughter along. Hopefully we can get her into Young Woman's soon so that she can tag along at camp.

Takin on the Cold

2009-04-20T21:43:00.000-07:00

On the Right Side of the Street

2009-04-20T21:32:00.000-07:00

We met a lady on the street the other day and she was so happy that we stopped and talked to her. She even gave me and Elder Taylor a hug. It was a little awkward but I didn’t want to tell her I was not supposed to especially cuz she asked if she could have one. I thought it would ruin the moment if I said no. ha ha. But ya, we taught her about the plan of salvation and the Book of Mormon. She said she would be happy to read out of it. It was just such a great street contact. She also told us that before she saw us she was going to cross the street to the other side but decided not to for some reason. Then when she started talking to us she was like, "I know it’s a sign." I really hope we can see her again and teach her.

Keep following the commandments and I know that charity will pour into your lives and you will be happy.
Love, Elder Izak Louw
PS: Read scrips every day!

What's an OYM? Our Yummy Meal? NOT

2009-04-13T17:19:00.000-07:00

What's an OYM?

2009-04-13T17:06:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed general conference. President Eckersley gave everyone in the mission these little books so we could print and minimize conference talks from Ensigns. So now I carry around a bunch of conference talks with my scriptures so I can share modern scripture as well. Elder Taylor and I have about 6-7 cool lessons we use to teach people which makes the work a lot more fun. Basically we just try to be a little more creative with our lessons so we don't get board teaching the same ones over and over. The work is going good. Still no baptismal dates but hopefully this weekend this lady and her daughter will have one. Say a little prayer for her. I have decided that the new most fun thing to do is to OYM (open your mouth) people. The other day when I was on an exchange in Gloversville, we were walking around and stopped to talk to this guy who was picking up sticks from his yard. We offered to help but he declined. After that we did an OYM...just started up a conversation. It wandered from topic to topic while we answered some of his random questions (polygamy,etc.) but finally ended on the Book of Mormon. It was just so fun to see things start to click in his head and have him agree to read the Book of Mormon. I guess it's just fun to mix up your day by talking to a bunch of random people.

Still Smiling In NY

2009-04-09T09:24:00.000-07:00

Elder Louw-Lookin Fine

2009-04-03T06:05:00.000-07:00

Passing Out the Book of Mormon

2009-04-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

Well this week flew by and I can tell the next five are going to as well because Elder Taylor and I have such a good time!

First Story: So a couple weeks ago I went on splits with a zone leader and we ended up finding this girl, talking to her for a bit, and then giving her a Book of Mormon. We stopped by and didn’t see her the following week but just last week we stopped by again and she had read the entire Book of Mormon and prayed about it. She said the she knew it was true!!! That was the first time on my mission that anyone has ever done that. She said she just likes to read. But of course to every investigator there is a snag... she has this lame boy friend who is a real jerk and doesn’t like us very much. Hopefully she will end up going to church and he won’t be so mad at her. But ya she is awesome.

Next Story: So Schenectady is a pretty hairy place in some parts of the city. Anyways we decided to go there and just walk around and talk to people and hand out cards and stuff like that. Well we ended up talkin to a bunch of people, some crazy, some weird, some really nice, and of course some real gangstas. Oddly enough the gangsters were the nicest and the most interested of them all. It was really cool talking to them. We ended up giving one guy a Book of Mormon. He said he would definitely check it out.

Louw in the Snow

2009-04-03T05:45:00.000-07:00

New Comp...Same Hard Work

2009-04-03T05:26:00.000-07:00

Elder Taylor is my new comp and he is great. He has a good sense of humor, works well, has been out for nine months(he came out in my mission group from the MTC), cleans good, and is happy to be out here. He is from Draper, Utah. Neither of us are senior comps. For two reasons: 1. we have both been out the same amount of time. 2. in this mission our president decided not to have senior comps at all because then the junior comps would just blame everything on the senior comps and he thinks that after three months everyone is equal. I had to teach the Gospel Principles Class lesson with only two minutes notice. The zone leaders are always bugging me about numbers and telling me that my numbers are not high enough....tell you what, I'm gettin tired of all these numbers. I wish I could just go out and work. As of right now we don't have any investigators with a baptismal date but we are working on a few. I don't know I guess I just feel a little overwhelmed and a little stressed but I'll work it out and things will get better.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! MARCH 15TH

2009-03-14T11:36:00.000-07:00

He's the MAN! The teenager is no more.

The Holy Ghost

2009-03-14T11:33:00.000-07:00

Last night we went to this guy's house who has been reading the Book of Mormon a lot and has been having some really good questions. He had some concerns about the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost because he thought he had already received it. He also wanted to know our opinion on why the Book of Mormon was necessary in comparison to just having the Bible. We shared Matt 18:16 (or something like that) that talks about "by the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established" and a bunch of others, and showed him how they support each other like Matt 7:14-15--- 2Ne 31:17 and others. That helped him out. Then to address the Holy Ghost topic we shared Acts 8 and explain that it has to be by the laying on of hands. We can feel that Holy Ghost prompts us or bears witness of truth before we have the gift but it is not constantly. Then I shared some other things. I shared that Christ would not give the commandment to be baptized of water and of fire (The Holy Ghost) if we already had it. But he gave the commandment because it was something we had to willfully "DO". It wouldn't just happen to us. That made a lot of sense to him. Also I compared the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost (that fire inside us) as a constant burning flame, that will help to keep us clean after we are baptized. To end... when I was there we prayed a couple of times so he could know if what we were teaching was truth. I did not feel like anything that came out of my mouth that night was from me but that the Holy Ghost was there telling me what to say. It was a great experience.

The Back Pack That Got Stolen

2009-02-18T20:26:00.000-08:00

8 Month Mark

2009-02-18T20:16:00.000-08:00

We had a baptism, a boy who is 13, everything went well and he got the priesthood too. He has a very short attention span (sound like anyone you know... ha ha...me?) He has been adopted into the YM very well so I think he will do just fine if the ward keeps that up.
Time is just zippin by out here, 8 months today! Wow!

3 Squirrels: Squirrel in a Box, Squirrel on a Stick, Squirrel with Silly Hair

2009-02-10T07:11:00.000-08:00

3 Small Thoughts

2009-02-10T06:12:00.001-08:00

1. Last Sunday I felt like I needed to get up and bear my testimony. I had been struggling with some things and I don't know of anything that could have helped me more. When we don't bear our testimony, we run the risk of losing it. So bear it whenever you can.

2. Saturday was really cool because I got to go back up to Gloversville for the baptism of the girl I was teaching there. It was such a neat experience to see her from the beginning...where she has come from to where she is now. She has made so many good changes in her life.

3. I'm really sad cuz our only really good investigators canceled for our appointment tonight and I really wanted to meet with him.

December Highs and Lows

2009-01-20T11:42:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2009-01-20T11:23:00.000-08:00

Cold Skin...Warm Heart!

2009-01-20T11:03:00.000-08:00

So I thought it was funny that I took a picture of the thermometer in our car when it said 5 degrees, cuz now that's not even cold! The other day it got to -12 at night and when we went out in the morning it was -9. It's so much fun to tract in that weather!
OK... so cool story... E. Coakley and I went to our investigator's house last night. He was an investigator five years ago but had recently just started talking with missionaries again. When we got there we gave him a big print Book of Mormon/Doctrine and Covenants/Pearl of Great Price because he has trouble with small print. As we walked in and before we sat down I saw a couple books that he had checked out of the Clifton Park Library about our church. I was looking through them and he said he had read them all (2 books about 200 pages each.) Then he said wait a minute and came back with 4 more that he had just skimmed through. We were like wow Wayne you have been doing some serious reading. We ended up just answering questions he had picked up from reading. All this reading had been done in the past 1 1/2 weeks. He is such a great guy and is really looking good for baptism. He said we have it the most right of any church.
I love you and miss you like crazy...Elder Louw

Blessings All Around The Table

2009-01-10T01:48:00.000-08:00