This week

Well, we have another week down! It is getting to crunch time in that I have literally 1 transfer left. We got our transfer calls today and I am serving with Elder Lyons till the end! So it is going to be a fun transfer. I kinda tried to like mix styles and stuff this transfer and be balanced between the lot of us but now I am just going to go all out. Like run to appointments. Run to this. Run to that.... Run everywhere.... ya...!!! :) We have time left so that'll make things easy but we are going to work our butts off if I have anything to say about it.

 

It has been another rough week. We had like no investigator appointments at all this week. It has just been way to slow for my liking. So we are going to find this week. We found some people yesterday that have some potential and this week we are going to get some new investigators and do this thing. But ya!

 

The Zone however is doing amazing! It is awesome. Like everyone here is just working their tails off and things are just going amazingly. We are finding people who are willing to be baptized and everything! So ya. I have already got my last training in mind and I will be probably doing something on teaching by the spirit. So it'll be nice to just work hard on trying to feel, listen to, and recognize the spirit. I have had some really good studies of late just studying how things need to be and I have learned a lot. The gospel never ceases to amaze me. We never are really learning things we don't already "know" but at the same time God just seems to take the things that we need the most and "bring them to our rememberance" right at the right time! It's great. So I have been learning a lot lately and hopefully we can have some good progress.

 

I took a look at my schedule for BYU-I this semester and it looks like it is going to be pretty intense. I took a look at all the classes and things and it's gonna be great but tough. I do however think that I am going to change my major over to CIT for my bachelors but if I was to like a Masters or something at BYU how would that work? Is that even how that whole process works or like what?

 

Anyways I think the coolest thing that I have had a chance to study of late is about prayer. I studied prayer in PMG then also in the Liahona that we got recently on how to improve our prayers and it just doesn't cease to amaze me just the things that we are expecting. Prayer is a hard thing to do effectively but it is SO very important. If we do it right though SO many blessings. I know that to be true for a fact! It is great. Love prayer. God really does listen.

 

I love Elder Hollands quote (repeating myself?) that the words: "Ask and ye shall receive" are the most repeated words in scripture. And the greatest part of it all! God wasn't kidding. He really does answer. He guides me on a regualar basis, he helps me to be better and he really truly helps me always! I can feel that!

 

But ya I would really reccomend the Liahona talk about how to improve our personal prayers. I learned a lot and am trying to improve. It is quite the amazing thing, prayer. I love it!

 

So grateful to all you at home, love you tons and tons. I hope you know that. I am so excited to see all you soon!! :)

 

Love my family! They are the best, in our house here in 중앙 we have had the ongoing thing for a couple weeks now of just how awesome eternal families are! We are all excited to be getting married but I am just excited for the family that I have now. It is awesome!

 

Love you all tons and tons and tons and tons! Let me know if there is anything specific that I can pray for you!

 

Love,

Josh (크라우더 장로)

Well, this was a good week in comparison :)

So ya this week was nice. We actually found this week a little bit and we also had some meetings that kept us pretty busy and all. So ya. We actually this week went to 대전 for a meeting and it was quite a good meeting. Another opportunity to kinda refocus and recommit. Every day that goes by it just amazes me how tired I'm getting. It's rough. But still we get up and go. Thanks mom for the gym membership its been nice, I am getting into a little bit better shape and all which is nice.

The work here however in 전주 Zone is going really well. The missionaries that we have here are all studs and they just are working their tails off. We have been seeing baptism/confirmations every week for the last 3 weeks and we have another 3 baptisms planned this weekend! It's awesome. The missionaries here are just busting their butts and God is just blessing us. It's been nice.

I have been having some problems with the heat. It is HOT... like really hot... humidity + elder Crowther = not friends. So ya, I am already through Elder Jensen's thing of cortizone cream and I am now onto mine (turns out I have it too! THanks mom!) and ya. I am also now becoming friends with Baby Powder. Just something to absorb the moisture because my body is not built to handle this much humidity so i chafe pretty bad. It hurts. So ya! Sure you wanted to know that but hey ya'll keep saying you like that I am frank....?

But ya, it makes me laugh that there was a meeting with the sister missionaries. To be completely honest I did not even know that we had missionaries over our ward until I went to college and it turns out that one of my roommates served in our stake.......... weird.... so ya. It'd much different here in Korea. Every ward having missionaries and all. In fact, most branches have their own missionaries and branches without them just complain about having no missionaries. Apparently we have a pretty big effect.... who knew?

I have recently been doing some self evaluation and have decided to work on Charity and Love. 자애와 사랑. I need to pretty bad. I am a very diligent and obedient missionary BUT as far as the "loving" type people don't usually attribute that to me. SO I am working on it. Any tips/advice? Anyway that you can take my "tough love" and make it into love that people actually recognize? A how-to would be nice. I however am studying PMG and the scriptures and all and doing some honest self eval and I hope it'll get better.

Workin' workin' workin' that's about it. I need to work harder though. 더 전념해서 해야지.... More dedicated. I work but I feel like my pace has kinda slowed a lot. I need to pick it up and I felt that this week. I hope that I'll have some assistance in how seeing as how just 전도'ing all day every day is not exactly what I am LOOKING to do. I'll do it. But I would like to kinda go out with investigators and things and it seems that the only people that I can find on a consistent basis are leaders of other churches.... I am really good and finding these people. I have found 3 in the last 2 weeks :)

I truly TRULY love ya'll. I am just working on fixing myself these days. I am sad that I don't have more time to do it seeing as how I have lots of flaws but I guess I'll just have to do it more proactively. Love the mission. Love that God is giving me this time to get better. I pray every day that I'll have his guidance and it comes. I love it. Grateful for this opportunity. Truly am.

LOVE YOU TONS! Not a whole lot of time left eh? Excited to see ya'll soon. Really am! Don't bring anything heat insulating at all. It's SO HOT haha :) Love you!

Josh (크라우더 장로)

Glad this last week is over to be honest...

Wow.... Ya...

 

This last week was hard. Just a lot of things to fix this week that took a lot of stress and a lot of phone calls and more than once on my knees asking for help. This whole missionary work thing is hard and it looks like God isn't just going to let me "get off easy" by just having a plain normal rest of my mission.

 

 Ya. Lots of stressful things in the ward, stressful things with missionaries, sickness, ya... Not cool. Just glad to be able to kinda slow down and email and all.

 

However this week as I was reading your emails I saw that you all have been praying for me! Especially that I would be able to find. Just wanted to say thank you and that yes indeed we did find this week. We were able to find 2 investigators through referrals from a member in the ward! The both of the investigators we found were referrals from the same man and the two are actually related (father + son) so it is cool.

 

This week however we just worked hard. We went to 서울 on Monday and then came back and just went to work. lots of 전도 and trying to teach people and all it was great. We were pretty much able to get through all the hard moments and now I'm just tired and ready for a nap to be honest. I did however cut my hair today! 1.5cm haha. It is nice and short once again. And if I was to show my hair to 장영준 he would laugh and tell me that my hair feels like a hamster. It's cute :)

 

I did however have my last presidents interview this week. It is the last one of my mission (until I have my exit interview with President 신) and ya it was weird. I don't know quite what to think about all of this but ya it's happening whether I want it to or not. SO ya!

 

By the way I did get you the information for President and Sister Furniss' "homecoming" talk It is as follows:

 

2013/7/14 12:50 PM

Pleasant Valley 5th Ward

 

I told them that all of ya'll would be coming so... guess you gotta go now.... :)

 

Love ya'll tons and tons. Hope you know that. So grateful for this work, it's true. I know it is. It's God's work and if we are faithful we will see miracles! Thanks so much for all of the prayers, I truly can not express how much I need them nowadays. I thought I needed them before. I think God is teaching me just another one of those hard lessons in life right now so ya keep them coming :)

 

LOVE YA!

 

Josh (크라우더 장로)   

Well, I am on my way home

Well everyone Hello there!!

I told you all a little bit about my week and all when I called today but I got a second on a train and it has little pay to go computers so I wanted to shoot you an email.

So as far as the whole Visa thing goes I have my passport in the mail under Premium EMS service (about the Most expensive mail you can send here) and ya! It is going here and I will talk to the Furniss's about whether or not you need to send it back or if you can just keep it with you and bring it when you come. That could definitely be easier.

So ya

The trip to 서울 was fun but wet. Lots of rain and my umbrella broke. But fortunately a nice guy at the Travel Agency I went to gave me one. It turn out his kids go to BYU and he's not a member and knows nothing about the church but was friendly and saved me from a very very VERY wet day. So ya.

We have been working on finding lately with not to much success. We've literally tried EVERYTHING we know.... maybe... not sure but I think so

I have been trying to focus on being obedient and focused but I am finding it gets harder and harder. I think this trip to 서울 will be good for me though because I am so ready to just not think about anything but missionary work for a while. It really is relaxing to the soul and just is good for me. I need it.

The Zone is doing great to be honest. We had 2 baptisms this week! 2 people that are starting the "Enduring to the End" journey. Fun stuff I think :) We are currently trying to find someone that can progress and all but as you know. That is hard stuff. Definitely possible! But hard stuff.

All in all though just serving here in 중앙 Ward, Still Zone leader, serving with an Elder named Elder Lyons. He's a cool kid. Love him. makes my life a lot easier and happier. It's great.

Love ya'll! I really do. So grateful to be here in Korea (even though the immigration office bugs me a lot) and to be able to teach Christ's gospel. I am trying to understand it more and more. I need it so bad

Love you, love you love you

Look forward to hearing from you next week!

With lots of Love :)

Josh (크라우더 장로)

Another week!

Well, ya'll it is just another week in the mission field. I forgot that President Furniss has a default letter that goes home asking you all to help me focus. I should have warned you about that haha. Made me laugh to see that you had just gotten that, it is kinda crazy I gotta admit.

So ya all in all though this week was a week of TRYING to find. It hasn't been very successful. I have had Elders all telling me that it is hard to find in this area and seriously they weren't kidding. It is nuts. It makes things so much harder trying to work harder when I have no investigators, because as fun as it is to work hard, doing only finding all the time is tasking and to be honest kinda boring. But we keep at it!

This week though was just a starting week into this transfer. We got a chance to actually meet everyone in the ward and all and had the opportunity to give my 인사 말씀. So ya, said hi and all, it was hard. I have been having a little bit of a "fish out of water" kind of experience being in a different ward in the same 전주. It really is kinda messing with my mojo.

This week though I went on splits with Elder Jensen and we just worked hard and so that was fun. Got out and got to meet some people and that was nice and then we also got a chance to get out and teach a referral. He was so cool! had been to Salt Lake City and everything. It is so cool that the biggest family history library in the world is in SLC because all the people who study history find their way there at some point in time. It's so weird.

I have just been working hard though. That's all I really can do I guess. We just keep working every day and see what happens. Hopefully we will find a way to get this Ward involved in the work and get things going. Pray for me to find a way okay?

I did however have a crazy experience this week. I got to participate in a traditional Korean wedding. It was crazy. One of the members in 전주 ward had asked me before I moved to be one of the guys who helped him out. so ya..... I'll attach pics.... anywho.... it was pretty legit

Today I am going on splits with the AP's. It'll be fun seeing as how it is P-Day and all we are basically just going to be hanging out a little bit and then we will go out and do some more finding for a couple hours. Then the day after that I am going on another split with one of the District leaders out in District B (정읍) so lots of moving around right now :).

All in all though good week. Great to hear that Jenna graduated from seminary and this week she graduates from high school! That's crazy. I gotta say. Alissa is busy with soccer in the rain (keep at it sis!) and Katie is our little trumpeteer so that is always fun. Kellie sent me an email saying that she might get to go to Japan! That'd be crazy! :) but ya!

Love ya'll i'll attach some pics! Remember that I love you all and that this church is true! I love the gospel, I love Jesus Christ and am so grateful for his sacrifice for us. This is God and Christs church. I know it :)

Love love love love love love love you! TAKE CARE!

SO ya!! Love you have a good week

Mother's Day call

(This is from Elder Crowther's mom):  We were able to Skype with Josh for an hour on Mother's Day.  He surprised us by calling his dad's phone and saying, "I'm going to be on Skype in one hour.  Be ready."  It was literally an 8-second conversation; David could scarcely believed it had happened.

Josh is still working hard, dealing with the challenges of being in a new ward and area and searching for investigators.  He said he struggles with declaring the gospel with boldness v. overbearance.  He described an encounter with a lady where they kept going back and forth until the woman finally said, "Okay, you're right, but don't talk to me about this anymore."  He's still learning 22 months into the mission. :)

We spent a lot of time talking about our visit to Korea to pick him up.  He definitely wants to spend our only Sunday there in Jeonju, the area he has been in since last October.  He also wants to take his dad to Pyongtaek to get new suits together.  He's looking forward to exploring Seoul, since he has only seen the airport, and we realized that when we fly in, it will actually be him coming to the airport to get us!  We told him we want balloons and banners saying, "Welcome family!"  

His sisters learned the Korean word for "older brother" which is oppa and kept calling him that.  He would laugh and shake his head.  As he watched the girls banter and interact, he looked at his dad and said, "How have you survived without me?"  David laughed and said, "I need you back, son."  Josh smiled, "Don't worry, Dad, I've got your back."

Over and over, he would look at us and smile and say, "My family....my family...."  He misses us, I think.  We miss him, too.  We prayed together, with him praying in Korean, and there were many tears throughout and after.  

We love our Josh.

Wow I can say that 100% without a doubt I did not see this coming!

Hey ya'll

So ya as the title suggests I have some interesting news...

I'm getting transferred.... WOW

It's not a big transfer seeing as how I am just going to the other ward in 전주 [Jeanju] city but it's a move and it is intimidating. I will be in the house with probably my best friend in the mission and we are just going to live it up... I am excited

This transfer is a big one for our little 전주 [Jeonju] zone. We are getting huge. There are a total of 2 more companionships coming to our zone with a companionship being made into a threesome. It is exciting. It is also fun to see that my "son" Elder Miller (the one I trained) is coming back to our zone! it is going to be fun. I know everyone in our zone and am just excited to have another adventure ahead of me.

This was a good week. Elder Zaleski and I were able to just get out and go to work. We have been teaching a lot of people and it is just good stuff. We were able to find 3 more investigators this week and 1 of which was a member bringing his student to church! It was way legit. So we totally pulled a member referral this week and ya! 

We also went to 대전 [Daejeon] and I got to see all of the missionaries who are going home this transfer (except for elder 구병모) it was really cool. I love all those elders, they are studs and have served honorable missions. I am so very very impressed with all of them and if we could just clone them and make more of them we would be set as a mission for a long time. They are amazing.

I realized this week that I still have a long way to go. I am working hard on trying to be better but it gets harder and harder because I feel like the things that I am trying to fix now are just more and more ingrained into my personality. So I am trying my best to kinda wrench those things out and fill them with good qualities. But it's hard... ya....

This week will just be busy with trying to get everything handed over to Elder Zaleski. He will be going co-senior here in 전주 and it will be really good for him. He needs a senior assignment. He'll progress a lot with it.

I will be serving with an Elder Lyons. He was in my zone beforehand so I know him a little bit but we will be working together and I am excited to try and help him out. He is a young missionary so I am excited to work with and learn from him. Just plugging along :)

Next week however is Mother's Day! I will do my best to find a member with whom I can skype (seeing as how I am in a new ward that could be a little bit of a task but I will do my best) but if I am unable to find one by about 8PM your time then just call me.

But hopefully I will be able to be on skype sometime before then. I will try to do something in the morning. :)

So at the end of Mom's email she asked me to Tell ya'll about something that brought me Joy... so let me think...

I think that the thing that brought me Joy this week was a meeting I had with our members last night. I went to a members house just to stop by and visit and I told them about my coming out on a mission and how that all went about. It was so sweet the spirit that was in the house. I was just so happy for the gospel and in talking to my companion afterwards it was so clear that the spirit was there. So grateful for it :)

So simple, read the scriptures, pray, go to church (willingly) if you do those things the change that occurs is SO real. I love it. I'm so grateful to my Father in Heaven for helping me to be better. Grateful for the gospel. glad I can share it.

Grateful for you all. Love you so much :)

P.S. I saw Sister Simonsen at the office for ZLC on Wednesday so I took a picture with her. Show it to the ward