Even though Elder Cowley passed away nearly 50 years ago, members of the Church are still interested in the faith promoting stories of Elder Matthew Cowley. Matthew Cowley was born August 2, 1897 in Preston, Idaho, to Matthias F. Cowley and Abbie Hyde, shortly before his father was called to be an apostle. In 1914, he finished his freshman year at the Latter-day Saint University in Salt Lake City, Utah, and decided he did not want to return to school the next year because he wanted to go on a mission instead. He later reported the following humorous account of his first assignment as a missionary: "I was just turning seventeen when I was called to go to New Zealand as a missionary. My first appointment there was to a little place called Judea. . . . At the first meeting I attended in Judea, I could not understand the words that were being said, and after the meeting a sister who could speak English said to me: 'Do you know what they said in there, and what they did?' I said: 'I could not understand a word.' She said, 'Well, you were called and sustained as the secretary of the Relief Society of the Judea Branch.' I made up my mind right there and then . . . to get the gift of the Maori language, even if I had to work for it, and I did have to work for it" ("Matthew Cowley Speaks," p. 2). Elder Cowley had to learn the Maori language on his own and during the first three months he was without a companion. He went to a grove every morning at 6:00 to study the gospel and the language and to fast and pray. There he would remain for 11 hours each day. Within three months he was able to stand before a group of natives and preach the gospel in their tongue. Those people who knew him on his first mission said he spoke like an educated native. His first mission to New Zealand lasted five years. While there, he prepared the Book of Mormon for its second Maori edition and translated the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price into the Maori language. Shortly after returning home in 1919, Matthew met Elva Taylor, whom he married in 1922. The newlyweds made their first home in Washington, D.C., while Matthew finished his law degree. Although money was scarce and Matthew was busy with school and work, the couple had fond memories of their time in Washington, D.C. Upon returning to Utah, Matthew began a law practice. Matthew enjoyed his law practice. "He was as honest as the day is long in all of his law cases," his wife once said. In early March 1926, their only child, Jewel, was born. In 1941, the Cowleys adopted a Maori boy named Tony. In 1938, Matthew had a phone call from the Presidency of the Church to come to their offices, where they asked him how he would like to be president of the New Zealand Mission. "It isn't a matter of whether I would like that position," he answered. "The important thing is whether I am called." Soon, he received a letter calling him to preside over the New Zealand Mission. It had been his dream and desire to return to that people and the country he loved so much. His term as mission president in New Zealand was to last for seven years, nearly until the end of World War II. While in New Zealand, the Cowleys witnessed profound acts of faith and mighty miracles among the Maori people. On one occasion, when Matthew was in a little town about 30 miles from Wellington, a father came to him with his nine-month-old son. He asked Matthew to bless him with a name, as he had not yet been blessed. Then, casually, he added, "While you are at it, please bless him to have his sight. The doctors say he is blind and they can't do anything for him." President Cowley was prompted to bless the child with his sight and the child's sight was restored. Elder Glen L. Rudd, a former member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy, served as a missionary under Matthew Cowley and remembered the events of October 15, 1944: "While I was serving as the mission secretary, some elders and I went to the post office where we were given an exceptionally large cable from President Heber J. Grant in Salt Lake City. We took it home to President Cowley. He read it alone in the office and then came out and was joined by Sister Cowley. Soon the elders and the Cowleys had a meeting in President Cowley's office. He said, trying to hide his disappointment with humor, 'Well, you birds are going home. I've received a cable from the prophet calling all the elders home.'" When the Cowleys returned to Utah, Matthew was called to fill the vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve, which occurred when President Heber J. Grant passed away. With the call came the opportunity for much travel throughout the world. One of the most memorable of these trips was their visit to China, where Elder Cowley dedicated the land of the Chinese for missionary work. Unexpectedly, Elder Cowley passed away on December 13, 1953 in Los Angeles, California, where he and his wife had attended the cornerstone-laying ceremony of the Los Angeles Temple. Elder Cowley loved the people of New Zealand, and the people of New Zealand loved Elder Cowley. He is remembered by those who knew him, and revered by those who only know of him, as a man of great faith. NEXT WEEK: Part 6: 1948-1958: The New Zealand Temple and the Church College of New Zealand ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CultureGrams, a division of MSTAR.NET, sponsors GEMS Worldwide Saints messages. Material related to this and upcoming Worldwide Saints series can be sent to worldwidesaints@culturegrams.com CultureGrams publishes concise, reliable cultural reports on more than 175 countries. For more information on CultureGrams, visit http://www.culturegrams.com "Matthew Cowley Speaks" (Deseret Book, 1954) is included in Deseret Book's electronic reference library, "GospeLink 2001." You can buy "GospeLink 2001" online at http://deseretbook.com/ldsworld.tcl?sku=4028853 Elder Rudd's address titled "Keeping the Gospel Simple," found in the January 1989 Ensign, contains several interesting stories and accounts of Elder Cowley. Additionally, "Classic Discourses from the General Authorities: Miracles" by Elder Cowley (New Era, June 1975) and "Faith and a Loving Heart: The Story of Elva Taylor Cowley," by Brent and Sarah Hinze (Ensign, August 1983), were useful in compiling this message. All three of these articles are available to read and print online at https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org in the Gospel Library section. GEMS is grateful to R. Lanier Britsch for his support of this series. Brother Britsch's book "Unto the Islands of the Sea, A History of the Latter-day Saints in the Pacific" (Deseret Book, 1986) is available on "GospeLink 2001." Purchase link given above. ------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2001, Millennial Star Network. Distributed on the Internet via the LDSWorld-Gems mailing list. Messages may be forwarded to individuals if this trailer is included but may *not* be reposted publicly or reprinted in any other form without explicit permission. LDSWorld-Gems Web page: http://www.ldsworld.com/gems/ To subscribe to Gems, send a message to "listserv@lists.ldsworld.com" with "subscribe ldsworld-gems" (without quotes) in the message body; or to leave the list, write "unsubscribe ldsworld-gems"
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