Germany! - August 15-16, 2016

Elder Rothwell's time in the MTC has come to an end! He was up bright and early Monday morning to head over to the airport and head to Germany for the next 23 months!

They had a layover in Atlanta, Georgia and Daxton's father, Shaun, was there for business and was able to meet up with Daxton and his roommates to have some lunch before their 9 hour flight to Germany. 

Elder Rothwell and Elder Hughes

^some video clips of Daxton at the airport and leaving^^

"Family Rothwell,

We are pleased to announce that Elder Rothwell arrived safely in the Germany Frankfurt Mission. He is doing great and is excited to begin this new adventure here in Germany. We know that the lord will protect him in his service and you and your family will blessed for his service. 

Sincerely 

President and Sister Stoddard"

Week 6 - August 13, 2016

Well what can I say, my last week in the MTC and I couldn't be more happy. I think that everyone who says they love the MTC must have all gone English speaking because being here for 6 weeks has just about drove me insane. It actually isn't that bad but I just can not wait to get to Germany. 

We had some good devotionals this week. The President of UVU Elder Holland's son Matthew Holland gave a great talk on Joseph Smith and some more in depth history of him. While I was on origination I learned a ton about Joseph Smith and his life and after this Devo I had an even better appreciation for our beloved prophet Joseph. He went through it all from an early age and his story is truly miraculous. Brother Garlick also gave us a lesson on the background of the Book of Mormon and we all felt the spirit super strong. God took about 4,000 years to get us the Book of Mormon and even what we have isn't nearly all that has been written. We have the good book in our day for a reason and I learned this week to not take that for granted whatsoever. How lucky we are to have it on the earth today.

On our Tuesday Devotional, Elder Anderson of the 12 came. He related our missionary work to hunting and fishing and us having to go out and find and have the spirit of discernment with us to find the people that are ready to hear the Gospel. As well as "Keeping the flame of faith and believing in miracles, not just on a mission, but for the rest of your life." I could write all day about his talk but it was super special to be in the presence of another Apostle of God. I was also jealous of Sister Nielson. Her companion lived in France for a while and knows Elder Anderson pretty well, so after the Devo they go to go down and talk to him for a while and get a picture.

Elder Wright, Elder Rothwell, Sister Nielson, and Sister G.C.

We said bye to Brother Garlick yesterday and it was pretty sad. He moved today to Ohio to go to Ohio State to be an eye doctor and he is going into the Navy for that I think?? He said it all in German so idk. But he has been a great teacher for us and brings the spirit to class every day. He said something great to us. He said don't get caught up thinking that a mission will save you and that it will be the best two years of your life and that after that your work is done because it is not. If you take what you learn on your mission and continue to grow every year after that will just keep getting better and better no matter what happens. As the good in the world increases, the evil does as well. There is opposition in all things and we need to hold strong to what we know to be true.

We had in-field orientation on Thursday and we learned how to take advantage of using the members to help us get referrals in the field.Other than that it was just long and boring to be honest.

I have learned a ton about the Gospel and myself being here at the MTC and couldn't be more happy to be leaving to Germany on Monday. The language has been making me have patience like never before but it was coming. During in-field we taught it in English and I was struggling to find the English words. The work is the hardest thing I've done but I couldn't be more happy to be out here spreading the good word.

Love you all and appreciate all of your letters.

Godspeed.

-Elder Rothwell

Favorite Scriptures of the Week:

**D&C 90:11

"11 For it shall come to pass in that day, that every man shall hear the fulness of the gospel in his own tongue, and in his own language, through those who are ordained unto this power, by the administration of the Comforter, shed forth upon them for the revelation of Jesus Christ."

**D&C 1:16

" 16 They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth old and shall perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall".

**D&C 62:2

" 2 And verily mine eyes are upon those who have not as yet gone up unto the land of Zion; wherefore your mission is not yet full."

**Mosiah 3:19

"19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child,submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."

Roommates!

Elder Rothwell and Elder Wright!

Elder Rothwell's District

**ELDER ROTHWELL LEAVES TO GERMANY TOMORROW!!**

Week 5 - August 6, 2016

Well, we got our flight plans yesterday and let's just say that it is about time. The MTC has been great but this week I have been itching to get to Germany. We leave on the 15th at 6:30 to head to the airport and we fly through Atlanta and land in Frankfurt the next morning. We are all pretty stoked but I will for sure miss all of the buddies in the zone and the Germans going to Berlin.

Our Sunday Devotional was great. Elder Allen showed us some old LDS clips that were great. "It's not who you aren't, it's who you are that is great." "It's often life's small moments that bring the best memories, don't let them pass you by." "If you love people, let them know, they can't read your heart." "Arguments, even childish, ruin companionships and relationships." These were just a few quotes from the Devo that I loved. He talked a ton about families and the importance of them.

I also said bye to Jon Sunday night. It is weird seeing people come and go so soon. We also saw all the new missionaries coming in and I saw Talmage Lamb and a few others.

I had a great week this week. We learned a ton about how and why we go to church and that it really isn't for anything other than to strenghten our relationship with God. I have taken for granted going to church my whole life and viewed it as a chore but our lesson on that this week was so great. 

In TRC this week me and Elder Wright taught a woman over skype that was from Germany but she now lives in Alpine down by the Creek Side Park. I went to school with her daughter. At the end of our lesson when she asked us where we were from and I said Alpine and she walked out off her porch and I could see my house from there it was pretty cool. She actually made fun of the missionaries when she was 17 on a train in Germany and now she is helping us with TRC's so that was a funny story to hear!

Me and Elder Wright in our lessons that we taught this week tried to focus more on teaching people and not the lessons and that if we are not excited about the Gospel and our message then who in the world is going to be? Teaching is my favorite thing. I have been struggling and getting frustrated with the language but I recieve some serious help from above when I walk in to the lessons and the German just comes to me.

I learned a valuable lesson with pride this week. An Armanian teacher offended a couple of our sisters this week and I was upset about it for them. Sometimes the MTC makes the smallest mistakes seem like we somebody just got killed and it bothers me super bad. But in the end it doesn't matter and we just need to drop our pride and be humble. I think that is the main tool Satan uses in our life to destroy our testimonies and our relationships with family and friends. 

Yesterday we had a sister that hurt her neck and then lost all the feeling in her body from the neck down and asked that Elder Wright give her a blessing. She is super tough and was trying to downplay her pain but she could barely walk, turns out she pulled most of the muscles along her spine. The spirit was so strong during the blessing and Elder Wright was physically exausted after that for the rest of the night but she is doing much better now. After the blessing she said she felt her Dad there and that it was actually the 5 year anniversary of his funeral. Later that night Elder Wright pulled me aside and talked to me with some concerns he had and he was just getting down on himself. I just talked to him about how after and before super spiritual experiences is when we get attacked most by the adversary and just tried to help him with what he was dealing with and I guess whatever I said it had said in his Patriarcal Blessing, and that his mission companion would say it so we both were like woah, and then we started laughing.

Just want you all to know that The Gospel is super simple and that if we do what is right, God and Christ are super pleased with us. I love my Savior and what he did for us. We can not do this life without his help and he is eager to help us, we just have to have the faith in him. I can not wait to get to Germany and serve the people there.

Thanks for all of the letters, packages and emails. I appreciate you all. Have an awesome week!

-Elder Rothwell

Favorite Scriptures of the week:

**Alma 26

(this is just the heading)

"Ammon glories in the Lord—The faithful are strengthened by the Lord and are given knowledge—By faith men may bring thousands of souls unto repentance—God has all power and comprehends all things."

**Mosiah 23

(this is just the heading)

"Alma refuses to be king—He serves as high priest—The Lord chastens His people, and the Lamanites conquer the land of Helam—Amulon, leader of King Noah’s wicked priests, rules subject to the Lamanite monarch."

**Alma 17:2-4

" 2 Now these sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him; therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.

 3 But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God.

 4 And they had been teaching the word of God for the space of fourteen years among the Lamanites, having had much success in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth; yea, by the power of their words many were brought before the altar of God, to call on his name and confesstheir sins before him."

**Matthew 24: 33-46

"33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

 34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

 35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

 36 ¶But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

 37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

 40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

 42 ¶Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

 43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

 44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

 45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

 46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

**Luke 22: 41-46

" 41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,

 42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

 43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

 44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: andhis sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

 45 And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow,

 46 And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation."

I got a pic with Elder Rios who is going to Armania and he lived in Kanab for a while. He is a great dude!

Elder Rothwell with his close friend, Elder Brockbank!

**ELDER HAS BEEN GONE FOR ONE MONTH NOW!!**