¡Hola mejor familia del mundo!
Congrats to all the hard work and success you had at the fair this year! It sounds like everyone was happy with the results, even though the judge didn't exactly like what you had to offer...oh well, at least we know they will taste good! Good work to my niece and nephew who were also successful! I hope everyone is doing well and enjoyed your first day at school. I can't believe I have brothers and sisters as juniors/sopohmores in high school, one at ACYI, and one still at good ole three mile creek. I hoped you all enjoyed your summer and feel like you accomplished all that you were working for. It is definitely a blessing to be able to work hard for something you really want and eventually see the results. I have learned even more of the value of hard work while I have been here in the mission field. I really miss the farm and all the physical labor I was able to do at home, but now I have the opportunity to work spiritually, strengthen my testimony, and change the lives of others. How marvelous is this work! This week was really good. It continued to rain and was pretty cold, but things are starting to get warmer, I hope it gets hot soon. I hear the missionaries lose lots of weight during the summer and I definitely need to get rid of all the stuff I have gained. We had 2 of our investigators in church on Sunday. One of which is coming on crutches and the other who is 10 years old. She comes with her aunt who is preparing to go on a mission right now. We also had a less active member come (he hasn't been to church for the entire time I have been here), and he brought his wife (they´re not married, but live together) who isn't a member. I always love Sundays because of the sacrament and the time I have to re-consecrate myself to the Lord. We had talks about the temple and missionary work this week, all which were really good. One of the talks was from the returned missionary who served in Pocatello. He talked about the blessings you receive from serving a mission. I know that my family and I are being blessed for the short time that we are apart. I miss you all so much and the great times we had together, but serving a mission is an experience I can't entirely describe. It is AMAZING to be a full time servant of the Lord, to represent Him in all times, in all things, and in all places. I have grown so much in this 7 months I have been out and continue to grow daily! I have never felt the spirit so much and never been so close to my Heavenly Father and Savior. It definitely isn't easy, but it is totally worth every sacrifice to be where I am today. I am so grateful for everyone in my life that has helped me become what I am today. My family, friends, ward members, companions, and most of all my Savior, Jesus Christ. I know that He lives and it is a testimony to all that He suffered and died for us. I know that Christ in the only way, the only name under heaven in which we can return to our Heavenly Father´s presence. I know that His gospel provides happiness beyond all that we have ever felt before, and that if we live worthy, the happiness will only increase. I love you all so much and thank you for your support and examples. Continue to enjoy the warm weather, have fun at school/work, and always remember you are a child of our Heavenly Father and you have great potential. I don't need you to send me new shoes but check with the missionary mall to see if they can replace the ones I have (the two year guarantee). Oh? and they announced in sacrament meeting this week that we have the ´´Service Day´´ for the church the 17th of Sept. Is that the same for you guys too? I am so excited to finally be able to do some physical labor and serve all the Uruguayans I can! If you could, send me a recipe for scones, pancakes, and banana bread that would be wonderful! Oh and check the regulations for what liquids you can have in a suitcase while on the plane and if they can be flammable or not. Thanks so much! Love you all more than you know!
Love
Elder Bowden
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Pray for Elder Bowden as he prepares for "Santa Rosa!"
¡Hola el mejor familia del mundo!
This week was pretty good, not the best ever, but not the worst either. The weather was super cold this week, lucky we had all the rain last week when it was a little bit warmer. It was pretty crazy because it hailed, which apparently doesn't happen much here. I just hope that I will make it through the ´´santa rosa.´´ It is a storm that comes every year towards the end of August, beginning of September and lasts an entire week! It rains everyday and you don't see the sun. Oh well, life and missionary work progress whether your soaked or not. We had a pretty good week with our investigators. The one I told you about that was preparing for the 27th of this month started working and hasn't had time for us to pass by or go to church, so unfortunately she wont be getting baptized this week. We will continue to try to help her progress, but really it's up to her and how she uses her agency. We had another investigator in church this Sunday. He was receiving the missionaries discussions before and knows practically everything. The only problem is that he was recently in a motorcycle accident. This is what helped him to realize he needs the church and to change his life. Because of the accident he has quit smoking, but the down side is that he has a cast on his leg and it cant get wet. He told us that he wants to get baptized and is working towards it, all we have to do now is wait for his leg to heal. We also had the young couple Fredy and Alicia in church again and they are progressing well, the only problem is that he doesn't want to get married. I hope that he will realize the importance of baptism and the gospel in his life and desire to do all necessary to obtain it. We have been working a lot with the members lately. We are working towards a new goal. Before it was the missionaries working alone, then it was the members helping the missionaries. Now what we are working at is the missionaries helping the members! I know that the members are a huge part of the missionary work and hope that we can help them realize this. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to serve a mission and to work in every way possible to further the Lords work here on the earth. Oh and luckily unlike dad I have pretty much got the language down. I don't want to stop learning or improving, but I can pretty well communicate with everyone, as long as the subject isn't to specific (meaning it requires vocab that I don't know and is only in a specific field). You asked how I was doing with my clothes/shoes and if I need anything. I don't really need anything, but if you could check with the missionary mall to see if they can replace my shoes, that would be great. The are actually pretty hammered and there is lots of dirt and water that always get inside. If you can see in the pictures there are some pretty big holes and the front part of my left shoe is coming off. Oh and also ask them if there socks are part of the two year guarantee, cause I have a pair that has holes. Other then that I am doing great! Thanks for the candy and goodies, that should make me fat for sure! I made oatmeal cookies today and there are pretty tasty! My comp and I are going to play ping pong at the church today and then its another week of hard work and dedication! I only have 2 more weeks left in this change and then I think I will finally be in another area! The changes are the 6th of September. I will let you know what happens. Tell Michael good work, for the football team. Tell everyone else I hope they do well in whatever they are doing. I hope to hear lots about the Bowden sheep heard at the fair this week! I hope you all do well and have fun, maybe get to the star round like me! Work hard and remember I love you all so much! Remember how big of an influence you can make in the lives of others through a simple but good example! I know that this church is true. It is lead by the Savior himself through a living prophet, Thomas Monson. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and I can feel the spiritual power it contains in every verse and page I read! I know that the Savior lives and He wants nothing more than for us to be happy and to return to His presence one day. I know that families can be together forever and am so grateful for this marvelous testimony I have received through the Holy Ghost. I know that anyone that desires TRUE happiness can receive it through the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love you all so much, you have no idea how much you guys mean to me, how often I think of you, and how much I look forward to hearing from you every week!
Love
Elder Bowden
This week was pretty good, not the best ever, but not the worst either. The weather was super cold this week, lucky we had all the rain last week when it was a little bit warmer. It was pretty crazy because it hailed, which apparently doesn't happen much here. I just hope that I will make it through the ´´santa rosa.´´ It is a storm that comes every year towards the end of August, beginning of September and lasts an entire week! It rains everyday and you don't see the sun. Oh well, life and missionary work progress whether your soaked or not. We had a pretty good week with our investigators. The one I told you about that was preparing for the 27th of this month started working and hasn't had time for us to pass by or go to church, so unfortunately she wont be getting baptized this week. We will continue to try to help her progress, but really it's up to her and how she uses her agency. We had another investigator in church this Sunday. He was receiving the missionaries discussions before and knows practically everything. The only problem is that he was recently in a motorcycle accident. This is what helped him to realize he needs the church and to change his life. Because of the accident he has quit smoking, but the down side is that he has a cast on his leg and it cant get wet. He told us that he wants to get baptized and is working towards it, all we have to do now is wait for his leg to heal. We also had the young couple Fredy and Alicia in church again and they are progressing well, the only problem is that he doesn't want to get married. I hope that he will realize the importance of baptism and the gospel in his life and desire to do all necessary to obtain it. We have been working a lot with the members lately. We are working towards a new goal. Before it was the missionaries working alone, then it was the members helping the missionaries. Now what we are working at is the missionaries helping the members! I know that the members are a huge part of the missionary work and hope that we can help them realize this. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to serve a mission and to work in every way possible to further the Lords work here on the earth. Oh and luckily unlike dad I have pretty much got the language down. I don't want to stop learning or improving, but I can pretty well communicate with everyone, as long as the subject isn't to specific (meaning it requires vocab that I don't know and is only in a specific field). You asked how I was doing with my clothes/shoes and if I need anything. I don't really need anything, but if you could check with the missionary mall to see if they can replace my shoes, that would be great. The are actually pretty hammered and there is lots of dirt and water that always get inside. If you can see in the pictures there are some pretty big holes and the front part of my left shoe is coming off. Oh and also ask them if there socks are part of the two year guarantee, cause I have a pair that has holes. Other then that I am doing great! Thanks for the candy and goodies, that should make me fat for sure! I made oatmeal cookies today and there are pretty tasty! My comp and I are going to play ping pong at the church today and then its another week of hard work and dedication! I only have 2 more weeks left in this change and then I think I will finally be in another area! The changes are the 6th of September. I will let you know what happens. Tell Michael good work, for the football team. Tell everyone else I hope they do well in whatever they are doing. I hope to hear lots about the Bowden sheep heard at the fair this week! I hope you all do well and have fun, maybe get to the star round like me! Work hard and remember I love you all so much! Remember how big of an influence you can make in the lives of others through a simple but good example! I know that this church is true. It is lead by the Savior himself through a living prophet, Thomas Monson. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and I can feel the spiritual power it contains in every verse and page I read! I know that the Savior lives and He wants nothing more than for us to be happy and to return to His presence one day. I know that families can be together forever and am so grateful for this marvelous testimony I have received through the Holy Ghost. I know that anyone that desires TRUE happiness can receive it through the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love you all so much, you have no idea how much you guys mean to me, how often I think of you, and how much I look forward to hearing from you every week!
Love
Elder Bowden
Monday, August 15, 2011
Feeling Extremely Blessed!
¡HOLA EL MEJOR FAMILIA DEL MENDO!
Wow, I have only one question to begin my email this week....Why am I so blessed? I was talking with my comp the other day and we were talking about the things missionaries have to sacrifice to serve their missions. Although every person sacrifices something different, it is always a way to show your dedication and love to the Lord. I asked him the question ´´is the way of living in the mission better then it was at your house?´´ He said it was about the same. I honestly feel that I am making sacrifices to be here, as is my family, and others, but it is a sacrifice for the better. I may not have all of the things I had back home, but I love feeling so close to the Lord and receiving His guidance DAILY. I know now more than ever that the Savior knows me and each one of His children and that He wants what is best for them. I also know that what we want is not always what the Lord has in store for us, but He will direct us to the places we to need to be to have the experiences He is preparing for us to have. I know that every thing that happens in our lives happens for a reason and it is always for us to learn. Thanks so much for the ´´care package´´ my comp and I are enjoying it. I also loved receiving letters from everyone! This week was full of things to do and many learning experiences. I am not sure if I am as busy as you guys are, but we are both working hard that's for sure. This week we had a zone conference with Pres and Hermana Da Sliva and it was great! I love spending this short time together with a man that receives revelation specifically for us and the power that we have as full time missionaries. I also worked one day with the zone leaders this week, we had an intercambio with them. I am so grateful for all the people I have meet and continue to meet the make a huge impact in my life. All my family, friends, ward members, and fellow missionaries they are amazing influences. We had four investigators in church this Sunday! It was super exciting when they all showed up and super happy that they are progressing towards their baptisms! I have to go now, but I will update you more on their status next week. Oh I think that the hardest thing for people to be baptized here would be being married/living the law of chastity. We are working with investigators now that are living together but are not married and they cant be baptized with these circumstances. I know that the Lord will provide a way for ALL His children to receive the saving ordinance of baptism and one day live with Him in the Celestial Kingdom. I know that this is the one and only true church on the earth today, and it is the church of Jesus Christ. Love you all! SO MUCH! Thanks for everything, until next week!
LOVE
Elder Bowden
DISCLAIMER: I don't know how to rotate the pictures that come from an e-mail! Sorry...if anyone knows how, PLEASE let me know! :)
Wow, I have only one question to begin my email this week....Why am I so blessed? I was talking with my comp the other day and we were talking about the things missionaries have to sacrifice to serve their missions. Although every person sacrifices something different, it is always a way to show your dedication and love to the Lord. I asked him the question ´´is the way of living in the mission better then it was at your house?´´ He said it was about the same. I honestly feel that I am making sacrifices to be here, as is my family, and others, but it is a sacrifice for the better. I may not have all of the things I had back home, but I love feeling so close to the Lord and receiving His guidance DAILY. I know now more than ever that the Savior knows me and each one of His children and that He wants what is best for them. I also know that what we want is not always what the Lord has in store for us, but He will direct us to the places we to need to be to have the experiences He is preparing for us to have. I know that every thing that happens in our lives happens for a reason and it is always for us to learn. Thanks so much for the ´´care package´´ my comp and I are enjoying it. I also loved receiving letters from everyone! This week was full of things to do and many learning experiences. I am not sure if I am as busy as you guys are, but we are both working hard that's for sure. This week we had a zone conference with Pres and Hermana Da Sliva and it was great! I love spending this short time together with a man that receives revelation specifically for us and the power that we have as full time missionaries. I also worked one day with the zone leaders this week, we had an intercambio with them. I am so grateful for all the people I have meet and continue to meet the make a huge impact in my life. All my family, friends, ward members, and fellow missionaries they are amazing influences. We had four investigators in church this Sunday! It was super exciting when they all showed up and super happy that they are progressing towards their baptisms! I have to go now, but I will update you more on their status next week. Oh I think that the hardest thing for people to be baptized here would be being married/living the law of chastity. We are working with investigators now that are living together but are not married and they cant be baptized with these circumstances. I know that the Lord will provide a way for ALL His children to receive the saving ordinance of baptism and one day live with Him in the Celestial Kingdom. I know that this is the one and only true church on the earth today, and it is the church of Jesus Christ. Love you all! SO MUCH! Thanks for everything, until next week!
LOVE
Elder Bowden
DISCLAIMER: I don't know how to rotate the pictures that come from an e-mail! Sorry...if anyone knows how, PLEASE let me know! :)
Monday, August 8, 2011
Reaching Goals!
¡HOLA FAMILIA!
Wow what another amazing week! I think this has to be one of the best weeks in the mission, at least the best in the last 7 weeks! We had a week filled with lots of success and being led by the spirit. I am super glad to hear that those of you who went to Oregon had fun in despite all the trials. Maybe it is time for dad to buy that new suburban....haha. I didn't have quite as many car problems as you guys did (we don't have a car.....duh) but definitely had a very enjoyable week filled with tender mercies of the Lord. It started off by having a charla Monday night with the family of a recent convert. The convert is only 11 years old and has been pretty faithful in church attendance, praying, and reading the scriptures. Now her family is passing through some pretty hard times, with trials centered on her family. They all listened to the message we shared of the gospel of Jesus Christ and how he can help them and bless their family. I really think that this is their time to accept the gospel and hope that they continue to pray to receive an answer of the truthfulness of this church. Then we had district meeting on Wed. and it was super good! I love my district and everyone is really excited to work and achieve our goal of 8 baptisms this month. The only bad thing is that the investigator that had the fecha for the 20th didn't make it to the church this Sunday so we will have to change her fecha to the 27th, but I still feel that she will progress to her baptism. Then on Saturday we had a ward activity. It was called ´´Choque de amor´´ and consisted of all the priesthood holders visiting the menos activo members. We passed by one and he wasn't there, we passed by another and they said they were busy and we could pass by another day. We didn't have much planned to do after this, so we decided to go visit some teenage kids that we found the other day. We called them the day before to see if we could pass by and they hung up on me. My comp and I thought they wanted nothing to do with the missionaries, but we decided to go to their house anyways. On the way we saw a young couple sitting outside of their house talking. My comp asked if we should talk to them and felt that we should. So we told them that we were missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ and they said that they wanted to listen. We taught them the entire first lesson on the restoration and left them with the commitment to read the B of M and pray. We both felt that the charla went very well and invited them to come to church the next day. They said they would and they did! They both work with members of the church and are excited to learn more! I am so stoked to help them progress towards their baptisms. The only bad thing is that they need to get married first, but I know they can do it. It was kind of weird cause they wanted to give us food, but we had to decline cause we were fasting. I know that Heavenly Father is blessing my family and I daily! I know that He is preparing souls here in Uruguay for my comp and I to find. I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and that there is no other way to return to the presence of God then through Him. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ both exist and love each of us individually. They know us better then we know ourselves, our needs, and our true desires. I know that the B of M is true and that we have this book thanks to many prophets, but especially Joesph Smith. I know is a prophet of God and am grateful he endured all the trials he had to give us the glorious gospel and church we have today. Thanks for all your support, love, and faith building testimonies. Until next week!
LOVE
Elder Bowden
Wow what another amazing week! I think this has to be one of the best weeks in the mission, at least the best in the last 7 weeks! We had a week filled with lots of success and being led by the spirit. I am super glad to hear that those of you who went to Oregon had fun in despite all the trials. Maybe it is time for dad to buy that new suburban....haha. I didn't have quite as many car problems as you guys did (we don't have a car.....duh) but definitely had a very enjoyable week filled with tender mercies of the Lord. It started off by having a charla Monday night with the family of a recent convert. The convert is only 11 years old and has been pretty faithful in church attendance, praying, and reading the scriptures. Now her family is passing through some pretty hard times, with trials centered on her family. They all listened to the message we shared of the gospel of Jesus Christ and how he can help them and bless their family. I really think that this is their time to accept the gospel and hope that they continue to pray to receive an answer of the truthfulness of this church. Then we had district meeting on Wed. and it was super good! I love my district and everyone is really excited to work and achieve our goal of 8 baptisms this month. The only bad thing is that the investigator that had the fecha for the 20th didn't make it to the church this Sunday so we will have to change her fecha to the 27th, but I still feel that she will progress to her baptism. Then on Saturday we had a ward activity. It was called ´´Choque de amor´´ and consisted of all the priesthood holders visiting the menos activo members. We passed by one and he wasn't there, we passed by another and they said they were busy and we could pass by another day. We didn't have much planned to do after this, so we decided to go visit some teenage kids that we found the other day. We called them the day before to see if we could pass by and they hung up on me. My comp and I thought they wanted nothing to do with the missionaries, but we decided to go to their house anyways. On the way we saw a young couple sitting outside of their house talking. My comp asked if we should talk to them and felt that we should. So we told them that we were missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ and they said that they wanted to listen. We taught them the entire first lesson on the restoration and left them with the commitment to read the B of M and pray. We both felt that the charla went very well and invited them to come to church the next day. They said they would and they did! They both work with members of the church and are excited to learn more! I am so stoked to help them progress towards their baptisms. The only bad thing is that they need to get married first, but I know they can do it. It was kind of weird cause they wanted to give us food, but we had to decline cause we were fasting. I know that Heavenly Father is blessing my family and I daily! I know that He is preparing souls here in Uruguay for my comp and I to find. I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and that there is no other way to return to the presence of God then through Him. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ both exist and love each of us individually. They know us better then we know ourselves, our needs, and our true desires. I know that the B of M is true and that we have this book thanks to many prophets, but especially Joesph Smith. I know is a prophet of God and am grateful he endured all the trials he had to give us the glorious gospel and church we have today. Thanks for all your support, love, and faith building testimonies. Until next week!
LOVE
Elder Bowden
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
The hard work continues!
¡HOLA FAMILIA!
Thanks for the new updates about the family. All the reunions, soccer games, and visitors in the house. It sounds like you guys are busy as usual and I also feel the same....where did July go? I cant believe that it is already August! Well I sent pics of my old district and I hope you enjoy them. Now my district is all North Americans with the exception of my comp. I told him that he has many people to help him learn English now. He wants to be in police investigations when he gets home and has to know English so I have been helping him practice. I made breakfast yesterday! It was super tasty, hash browns, eggs, and bacon! The other picture is of a thing called an ´´alfajor.´´ It is basically the Aouth America version of "little debbie." This one is called the Surprise Negro and is my favorite of all. I will definitely have to bring some home for you guys to try. I got the other package that you guys sent me with the t-shirt. It was funny when I showed my comp and told him what is meant! It was exciting to see that Shane graduated and is going to go to Snow to serve a mission! I am going to write him this week! Thanks for all the Liahonas, they have helped me to study more of the prophets counsel in both languages. We actually receive the Liahona as missionaries, only its like 2 months late. So if you want you can send some, but don't worry about it a lot because eventually I get them here in the mission. This week was really good. I got to go to Malvín where they had a leadership meeting for my comp and changes. I got to see some missionaries that I haven't seen in a while which was really fun and took some pictures with others that went home. My trainer is going home this month and wants to know if I want to send anything home for you guys. If you want me to send something with him, let me know and I can do it! We had an investigator in church this week! It was great! Elder Avalos gave a talk on how the members can help the missionaries and the whole time she was saying how nervous he was, it was way funny. I hope she continues to progress towards her baptism date on the 20th of this month. I know that when I work diligently and seek the help of the Lord he will guide me in His work. I know that the Savior lives. I am spiritually edified every Sunday when I get to partake of the Sacrament, remember Him, and renew my covenants to follow Him. I know that there is power in covenants and the our Heavenly Father is happy when we make and keep them. I know that my family and I are receiving blessings beyond comprehension for my short two year service as a missionary. I am striving to become all the the Lord expects me to be and am constantly striving to have the spirit to touch the hearts of the people who Heavenly Father is preparing for me. I know the families can be together forever and the we can live happily ever after with our Father in Heaven and Savior someday. I know that they hear and answer our prayers, not in our time, or in the way we want, but they always answer them! I love you all and thank you again for you sacrifices, love, and support!
LOVE
Elder Bowden
Thanks for the new updates about the family. All the reunions, soccer games, and visitors in the house. It sounds like you guys are busy as usual and I also feel the same....where did July go? I cant believe that it is already August! Well I sent pics of my old district and I hope you enjoy them. Now my district is all North Americans with the exception of my comp. I told him that he has many people to help him learn English now. He wants to be in police investigations when he gets home and has to know English so I have been helping him practice. I made breakfast yesterday! It was super tasty, hash browns, eggs, and bacon! The other picture is of a thing called an ´´alfajor.´´ It is basically the Aouth America version of "little debbie." This one is called the Surprise Negro and is my favorite of all. I will definitely have to bring some home for you guys to try. I got the other package that you guys sent me with the t-shirt. It was funny when I showed my comp and told him what is meant! It was exciting to see that Shane graduated and is going to go to Snow to serve a mission! I am going to write him this week! Thanks for all the Liahonas, they have helped me to study more of the prophets counsel in both languages. We actually receive the Liahona as missionaries, only its like 2 months late. So if you want you can send some, but don't worry about it a lot because eventually I get them here in the mission. This week was really good. I got to go to Malvín where they had a leadership meeting for my comp and changes. I got to see some missionaries that I haven't seen in a while which was really fun and took some pictures with others that went home. My trainer is going home this month and wants to know if I want to send anything home for you guys. If you want me to send something with him, let me know and I can do it! We had an investigator in church this week! It was great! Elder Avalos gave a talk on how the members can help the missionaries and the whole time she was saying how nervous he was, it was way funny. I hope she continues to progress towards her baptism date on the 20th of this month. I know that when I work diligently and seek the help of the Lord he will guide me in His work. I know that the Savior lives. I am spiritually edified every Sunday when I get to partake of the Sacrament, remember Him, and renew my covenants to follow Him. I know that there is power in covenants and the our Heavenly Father is happy when we make and keep them. I know that my family and I are receiving blessings beyond comprehension for my short two year service as a missionary. I am striving to become all the the Lord expects me to be and am constantly striving to have the spirit to touch the hearts of the people who Heavenly Father is preparing for me. I know the families can be together forever and the we can live happily ever after with our Father in Heaven and Savior someday. I know that they hear and answer our prayers, not in our time, or in the way we want, but they always answer them! I love you all and thank you again for you sacrifices, love, and support!
LOVE
Elder Bowden
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