Striving for Eternal Families!

HOLA FAMILIA Well.....this week went pretty good. We had our zone conference on Thursday with Elder Viñas and it was really inspiring! I am glad to hear (and see) that everyone did well at the fair and to know that the temple open house is going good as well! Congrats to everyone and their achievements and am proud of all of you! I was super happy to hear that dad has found a job! It was an answer to my prayers as well as everyone else. I know that for some reason Heavenly Father needed dad there and through a trial of faith lead him. I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who always knows best and guides us daily! We are starting our week off today and are hoping to do a lot more and be more dedicated to finding the people we know are ready to receive the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I hope and pray that everyone does well at school and work! I cant believe that my ´´little´´ brother and sister are now officially seniors in high school! Thanks for all the photos and I am enjoying them as well as my comp(after all not too many people have seen sheep in costumes! haha) Our investigator that was going to get baptized this week couldn't make it to church yesterday...that was a bummer. He could still be baptized but we feel that he isn't quite ready so we will continue to help him prepare. At our zone conference they talked about ´´crecimiento real´´ or real growth and how we as missionaries need to do our best to strengthen and build the kingdom of God where we are serving. Here in Guay we have a lot of baptisms but the thing we usually don't have is people being endowed, receiving the priesthood, and serving missions. We need to strengthen each ward here as if it were our home ward and do all we can not just to baptize but to prepare future leaders and active members of the church. I don't actually have a lot more to tell this week but I just wanted to say that I love you all and miss you lots! I have some pics that I wanted to send so you can take them to the missionary mall and get me some new stuff but the computer wont let me upload them, so I guess I will have to do it next week! Our area is doing ok but there is lots more to do. Tomorrow I am holding our district meeting so we should be able to talk about some stuff and help one another to be edified and excited for the week. There is a companionship in our district that is having a baptism on Saturday so we will be doing an intercambio and I will do the interviews. I hope that everyone continues to work hard and I know that the Lord will bless and protect you. I know that God lives and He is our Father in Heaven. I know that His Son is Jesus Christ and is the only name under the heavens in which we can be saved. I know that it is through faith, repentance, making and keeping covenants, and enduring to the end that we can receive the grace of Jesus Christ and live forever with God and our families. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and is evidence of the restored gospel and church. Who ever reads it and asks Heavenly Father if it is true with real intent will receive an answer and it will change their life. I know that we are lead by a prophet today and that he holds the keys of the priesthood. I know that doing the basics things inside the gospel change, transform, and build us from day to day. I love you all so much! Until next week! CON AMOR Y UN ABRAZO Elder Bowden

Baptism=Success!

HOLA FAMILIA WOW! It sounds like you all had an amazing super spiritual week at the temple! I am kind of jealous that you get to be there for the open house and all but I guess its one of the blessings I miss for being on a mission! That's so cool that you got to meet the Davidson´s....they are pretty cool people. This week was very good...fast...and very good! The baptism went great and we have our other one now planned for the 31 of August. The hermanas or sisters in our district had a baptism and so did the elders in Carmen! That is three in the zone! The only bad thing about this week is that it rained all week. It was a real blessing/answered prayer because Sunday it cleared up and now its raining again. Thank you tender mercies! We also bought a 25kl bag of potatoes this week so we will be eating lots of tatos! We had our first district meeting last Tuesday. It went really well and I taught about repentance and how we need to invite all to repent. We talked about how we could invite others to repent so they would feel our Saviors love, desire to be clean, and fully understand how to do it. We also received news at district meeting that Elder Oaks is coming to Uruguay! I cant actually remember when but it is going to be next month and we are having a combined conference with the Montevideo West Mission. We are also have a conference this Thursday where Elder Viñas from the Seventy will be talking to us! I am so excited to be able to listen to and meet that apostles of the Lord. I know that we will be edified and receive the revelation necessary to help the people in our area and to continue to build Gods Kingdom here in Guay! I guess you could send a package if you want...they said that they are allowing one mail truck to leave the airport a day. So the strike is still going but slowly and surely I should get what ever you end up sending. I know you are going to be super busy this week with the fair and I wish the best for all of you! I will include you in my prayers as always and I know that the Lord will watch over you. Don't forget to send pictures next week and tell me how everyone did! Oh and if you could can you send a picture of my shotgun...my comp wants to know what it looks like? So...I was thinking the other day(not to say I am trunky) and you have almost figured out everything for when I get home....work, school, etc. The only thing you have to work out now is finding me some dates so I can find my wife ASAP! Haha! I guess you can keep your eyes open and let me know. But for real, I am loving the mission and don't want it to come to and end. Its sad to say but yesterday I completed 19 months. I don't really think that I can extend my mission so I just have to work my hardest with the time I have left. My comp and I are very excited for the future and are fine tuning everything to help as many people as possible. We are going to help the investigators we have take the steps necessary to progress and be baptized and at the same time find more people to teach. We just got permission for Pres Armstrong to go onto the church website and I was watching the mormon messages! WOW are they great! I don't have much more to tell you and I feel as if I am rambling on. We are emailing in the church today so my comp is waiting to use the computer! I know that this church is true. I love this gospel and it has changed my life. I know that anyone who wants to follow the Savior can receive this same confirmation by the Holy Ghost. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and applying it in our lives with help us become more Chirstlike. I know that He lives and loves us. He loves us so much he suffered beyond comprehension and gave His life so that if we would repent we could be worthy to live with God and our families again. I know that this is the path to true and lasting happiness. It leads us through obedience to the presence of our Heavenly Father where if faithful we can and will receive blessings we cant even imagine! I love you all so much! Miss you too and will look forward to hearing from you next week! Have a great week at the fair and continue to look for ways to bless those around you...who ever it may be! CON MUCHO AMOR UN ABRAZO Elder Bowden

Striving to be a better missionary and District Leader!

HOLA FAMILIA Well...this week was really good. I had lots of new and exciting experiences! Some of the same as well meaning I returned to the same zone, but hey I like it! I attached a photo of me and my new comp....like I said before he is from Washington but his parents are from Mexico. Its cool cause I get to learn a little bit more about the country and talk more like them! He was pretty excited when he heard that Mexico beat Brazil in the Olympics. My new area is great and I am already loving it! It is a smaller city but there are two wards here and the hermanas or the sisters are in the other ward. They are part of our district as well as two elders in Durazno. Everyone is working hard and I am really excited to have a great change! It is really funny cause three of the four elders that I came with to Argentina/Uruguay have been in the area. There is actually quite a few shops and things have a lot of movement. The population isn't as much as my last area but about three times as much as Carmen...maybe four times. The great news is that there are lots of people to baptize and we are striving our hardest to help all to come unto Christ! I am so happy to hear that everyone is heading out on their missions...the only bad thing is I won't see them for practically four years. We actually have a baptism this week and we placed some fechas or dates this week for the up coming three weeks! If everything goes as planned we should have a baptism every Saturday for the next month! I can't believe how fast time continues to fly! That's cool you saw the elders from our mission that just went home....was it Elder McCellan or Elder Heywood? One is from Far West and the other is from North Ogden. I am working hard, trying to give it my all but I still have lots of room for improvement. I don't know if you looked up my area online but it's in the department of Tecùrambo....I think I spelled that right? It is exactly in the middle between Brazil and Montevideo. It is also where a drink was created called Paso de los Toros...its grapefruit flavored. It rained on Sunday so not too many people came to church, members or investigators, but we are going to fix that! I talked in Sacrament meeting which went well....on a good day we usually have about 40 to 50 in sacrament meeting. Being a DL again is pretty good. I honestly feel it motivates me to work harder and be a better example. The only thing is that I don't have to much time at night when we get home cause I have to call all the companionships and then report to the ZLs. I just do my exercising in the morning and then write in my journal(writing in the journal is one of my goals to improve). All in all I am doing great and I am super excited for the future. I love being a missionary and working as a full time servant of the Lord. I can't lie it is going to be a really sad day when I have to come home. We have had a lot of excellent charlas or lessons this week, all of which we have felt the spirit very strong. I have been working on becoming a missionary more in tune with the spirit. I am striving daily to be more worthy and able to recognize his presence and follow the promptings. Our bishop here is happy to work and is fulling his calling well...we are going to continue to work with him. I found out but don't know if I ever told you but the hermana (Watkins) that left with us is already home! She went home a little early to study! I know that this church is true and I don't know where I would be without the gospel in my life. The gospel along with my mission has literally changed my life and has made me all that I am today. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world! I love this gospel, church, and my family! They are some of the greatest blessings that I have been given! I am glad to hear that dad had a good interview, that the family is doing well, and that everyone is busy! I will continue to pray for you as always and do my very best here so that I am as well as family is worthy of these marvelous blessings! LOVE YOU TONS and MISS YOU TOO! Until next week! CON AMOR Y UN ABRAZO Elder Bowden

Transfers coming! Back to the good ol' Country!

HOLA! Hey! I have lots to tell you and not a lot of time but the keyboard feels good and I should be able to type it all pretty fast. First off...I don't think I need anything from home. I am so glad that you got my package...I was kind of worried cause I heard that the Uruguyan mail system was on strike. I read that they were not allowing packages to come in or send them out? I honestly don't know the details? It said it has been 27 days since they are on strike and I received my other package in that time period I think? Just let me know if you find out anything. WOW! Getting ready for the temple open house that's so exciting! Last week I also received some letters from the Perry 9th ward beehives.....the shortest one came from my little sister! Oh well I guess I just have to be grateful that they write! We often hear about the Olympics and how out basketball team scores 156 points! It was cool cause the field where all the professionals play is in our area so we got to see a couple of famous players like Suaraz, Cavani, and the rest of the team that went to London. It is kind of a bummer for Guay cause they already got eliminated! We heard our girls soccer team is still playing...Go USA! We also saw the first black girl to win the gymnastics competition and the funny thing is she is from Virginia (the same state as Elder Jenkins)! He was proud but is not to happy now....he has another comp from Utah again! HAHA! He is staying here in Aeroparque and I am leaving! I am going back to my last zone....Durazno! It is an area called Charrua and is in the city of Paso de los Toros! That's right I am going back out into the campo or country and it could even be my last area! It's so crazy to see things winding down...I mean Chris is going home in like two months! My new comp is Elder Reyes. He is from Seattle Washington but is basically Mexican. Both of his parents are from there and he was born in the states. I don't know him but I did meet him once and he seems like a great missionary like all of my comps! One more thing....I will be the District leader again. I am excited to serve the the members of my district again and continue to do the best I can. Today has been kind of crazy cause we have been going around to buy some things and them we are going to visit some people before I leave tomorrow. Just so you know I bought a jersey so it should show up on my transactions. I am doing great, loving the mission, and praying that I will be able to give it my all. I don't want to make mom trunky or anything but I have to tell you a story! We have a member we who was less active cause of health problems but she has come to church a few times since I have been here. We visited her and her husband yesterday and she said she had a dream about a woman. She was blond and lived really far away. She said that she didn't look sad but could tell that she was missing someone. It was her son who was off on his mission! She said that she was dreaming of you! I couldn't do anything but laugh! Its ok mom cause I miss you too as well as everyone else! I continue to pray for you all and I know that the Lord will always watch over you! I know that this church is true and I could never deny it! I have felt so many spiritual expressions/confirmations and seen so many miracles that it would be impossible. I know that it is the best life we can live! It makes us truly happy and prepares us to live with God again. I know that He lives and loves us. I know that families can be together forever. I know that Book of Mormon is essential to our testimony. I don't have to much to share about the temple except the advice to do all you can to get there and if you already have a recommend go as often as possible. The temple is amazing and the feelings are undesirable! It is truly the connection between heaven and earth! LOVE YOU! MISS YOU! Until next week! UN ABRAZO Y MI AMOR Elder Bowden