Home At Last!!!

Well done Elder Rawle! We love you!

A Wonderful Reunion

First hugs at the airport. The best feeling ever!

This Is The Day We've Been Waiting For!!! August 4, 2011

The family anxiously waiting at the airport. We are so excited!

New Mission President

6 More Weeks!

Last Zone Conference-Saying Goodbye to Great Friends

A Broken Arm, But Still Smiling

Hello Wainuiomata

Goodbye Beautiful Napier!

Easter

P-Day

Flight Plans

We received a surprise email today....Connor's return flight plans! He will be home August 4th!

His Smile Says it All!

This picture brings tears to our eyes. The smile, the happiness, the pure joy! Words can't even begin to describe!

Miracles in Napier

Kia Ora,

Well I basically can't even explain my feelings this week in words, but I will attempt to do so. First of all, I try my best but I have so many pitfalls in my life, and in my missionary work. The Lord with his love always seems to bless me and fill in the gaps of my imperfections. The work has shot up the roof this week and I've seen so many blessings. I was able to see a family come into the waters of baptism this week. Four souls were baptized, I baptized two, and Elder Sharkey baptized two. They are the Tonga family. Hynda, Tilini, Sala, and Paul Tonga. They have been so excited, but scared to get baptized for the past few weeks as we have prepared them for it. Their Mom is a less-active member, she went less active quite a few years ago, and is coming back into re-activity. Elder Sharkey and I have truly come to love this family and built a bond and a friendship that will last the rest of our lives. The baptismal service went perfectly as planned, the ward showed up and showed their support for them. After they were baptized I walked into the bathroom and it may seem a little cheesy, but I just started crying, and saying thanks to my Heavenly Father for helping this family and helping them along the way. I just said thanks for everything, and I knew even stronger, that God exists. I was thinking about how grateful I was to make the decision to serve a mission and change the lives of people along the way. The night after the baptism we went to the Tonga families house and the Mom just said thanks to us for baptizing her children, she was saying and she's going to come back to church strong and change her life as well.

We also got a text from one of our investigators that's been to church 2, institute once, and a baptism. She said that she wants to get baptized this saturday so were working hard to prepare her for that! It's been pretty crazy here.

I'm doing good, I'm happy, actually I've never been happier. I love you all. -Crawle

5 More Months and Loving it!

Doing So Good!

Kia Ora,

This week has been another awesome one. It started off with a few day exchange with a new missionary straight from Germany, Elder Windhausen. It was really cool to be able to serve with him and see his great faith, and cool accent. We've been focusing a lot on Denise, who is Lotu, the girl who just got baptized Mom. I'm pleased to announce that Denise was succesfully baptized this last saturday!!!! Wooohoooo!!!!!! It was an awesome experience. She's had a lot of fellowship and has enjoyed church so much. It was so good to see Denise arrive at the chapel for the baptismal service with a huge smile on her face. The ward showed so much support for Denise, and there was a big feed afterwards as well.

New Zealand is a cool place to serve, I love the people. No one wears shoes. It's really funny. It's not like New Zealand is this total island style place, it's really civilized like any other country, but it's just funny to see all these people at the grocery store wearing no shoes. Last p-day we walked to the grocery store and I wore no shoes just for the fun of it, no one even gave me a second look at the grocery store. There's no such thing as no shirt, no shoes, no service.

Things have been great, I love my companion from Orderville, he's pretty funny. I reckon that I'll leave Napier in a few weeks, my work should be done here by now. I want to baptize 7 people this month, it shall be done!

I miss you all, I miss snowboarding, my cars, my shoes, and sundance! I love you all.

Elder Rawle

Napier-February 2011

Kia Ora Family,

Well it's been another one of those spiritual boost weeks for me! First of all the weather has been great, it hasn't been too hot and it hasn't been too cold. Last night we did a new thing that me and my companion call 'picture finding'. A way to find new investigators. We walk along the board walk(which is really nice here) and we ask people if they will take a picture of me and my companion, it almost always leads into a gospel conversation and the people don't feel threatened because they don't think that we're doing anything but just asking for a picture. Napier is such a tourist town so if you're in the little town center then most of the people you meet are from Australia or the UK. So here's some photos from picture finding.

Also we had the great experience of baptizing a girl named Lotu. When we first met her she was very very shy, but as we got to know her it helped heaps. Lotu is 12 years old, she's half maori and half samoan. I think one thing that really helped was when I made up a little handshake for us to do everytime we saw eachother. Her mum is Denise, she's really keen as well. Denise was taught a while ago by missionaries but it never really led anywhere, the thing that helped Denise was when we started teaching her with her daughter, things just started progressing well, and they came to church 3 times in a row, then Lotu was baptized. Denise was supposed to get baptized with Lotu but she had some 'physical problems' and so she's gonna be baptized this saturday or the next one. Luckily I just found out that I'll be staying in Napier for next transfer with Elder Sharkey again so I'm stoked!

The baptism went so smoothly, I was so proud of Lotu because she didn't look the least bit shy, the members came and supported her, and some of her friends that are investigating as well. We had 4 investigators come to see what baptism is like. It's always the greatest relief when they go under the water, all of that worrying and work payed off! I had the oppurtunity to confirm Lotu a member of the church and give her the gift of the Holy Ghost. She has a very long name but since I'm pretty good with the island names, I think I nailed it good! Her name is Lotu Wikitoria Leilani Wiparata Esekielu! Hahah. A real strong member of the high council spoke at sacrament and told Denise and Lotu good job for everything they're doing and for the steps they are taking. The guy did it so well, he made them feel so special for what they're doing, especially when he told them thank you and good job in maori at the pulpit. Freakin awesome!The Spirit was so strong, and since Lotu used to be so shy, I'm so glad that she's opened up. I was sitting in Elders quorum, and I look out the window and Lotu was making faces at me and my companion haha, I was so happy that she feels comfortable enough at church to have a laugh, but she still knows it's the Lord's house. It's always the best feeling having a baptism!!! I'M SO HAPPY! I'm glad I'm serving in New Zealand because you don't baptize as much as you would in like south america, but when you do have the baptisms it makes it so meaningful.

I think that I'll be up in Napier for just one more transfer then move on to my next and final area. I love the work though, we should see a lot more miracles this transfer in Napier, we should have another 6 or 7 baptisms here so it should be all good. I don't know if I'll be able to write everyone next monday, it may be on tuesday because we have to drive in to Wellington for zone leader council with our mission president, but I'll be sleeping over at Elder Wrights flat on sunday night because it's such a long drive from here to Wellington. I'm so grateful to be out here, I love the work. I know that the Lord lives and that he did die for us. I've been able to feel the power of the atonement, and I've been able to see it work in others as they come unto Christ and recieve him through baptism. I love you all and miss you, but right now there's no place that I'd rather be then here serving in this beautiful land with these beautiful people. I couldn't do this without my Mom and for the great support that she is to me, Love you Mom! Love you family!

E noho ra, Kakite ano!

6 Months Left!

Only six more months until Connor is reunited with his beloved car. I'm sure seeing this blue car made him a little homesick for his white car. It's faithfully waiting for him at home. Notice the steering wheel on the right side of the car.