Sorry we don't get time to write!

This week we got punished again because investigators couldn't be baptized but the next week will be better!  Sorry we don't get time to write anymore but I'll try and write a letter on my spare time at night. This week was crazy... lots of things falling through, but this week will be good!

Love ya lots, Elder Bowden

The blessings that came!

So this week was really nuts! We were "punished" again last p-day and had to use half of our p-day doing contacts.  At the time it felt like a big punishment, but the blessings that came from doing it were awesome!!! We got in the habit of just talking with tons of people and inviting them to visit the church with us. We found lots of people who are awesome and are preparing for baptism! We started off with a woman who had lots of questions, but we started talking with her and she turned out to be looking for a church and wanted to visit. We were answering all her doubts and preparing her and her family for batismo!  Its gonna be great!  They have a date for 31 of Jan.

We also found a man, Vander, who's daughters are members. He has never had a desire to be baptized but we talked with him and at the end he was asking if I could baptize him.  It was way awesome!  He is preparing for this next Sunday!!! Along with another young man, Danilo, with a date for this Sunday!!! :)

There was another woman who was sitting outside her house with her daughter, and we had passed her, but I felt a desire to speak with her, and so we turned around and talked with her. Dôra said that she had been waiting 20 years for someone to talk to her and had been feeling a great desire to visit the church.  She knows that God has answered her prayers and wants to be baptized! :D   It was incredible!  We were working really hard and the Lord was Working with us...it was really awesome!

My comp is young and likes to try and push my buttons but I am gonna try and learn to show love when its hard because I know its what Christ would do. My second "son" is gonna be a little harder than the first, but its God showing that he wants me to grow and change my weaknesses into strengths. 

 

Love the mission :) and Love You guys also! Awesome experiences!!!

Elder Bowden

 

Bispo taking a selfie of the baptism, it was awesome!

 

My new companion is from Brazil!

My new companion is from Brazil, so I wont have to teach the language.  I just need to learn to speak without an American accent. He is good, just a little young, but we will work good together!

But anyways this week was a little crazy. We had a recent convert leave after sacrament furious because of a misunderstanding, but we went there and fixed her problems. I am learning just how important it is to have the confidence of those you work with because when you have that, the rest is easy.  If we just help them learn for themselves to not give up on the church because of the people in it but to stay focused on Christ and the real purpose of church!

This week was a little hard because everyone was out of town, but lots will return soon, so it should be an awesome week! Sorry I didn't manage my time very wisely this week and don't have much time, but I'll do better next week!

Love ya

Elder Bowden

The friend of Grandpa was the turkey!!! and I'll send a picture of my mission family!(without my father)

I am gonna be a grandpa in the mission!

This week was crazy!  Our baptisms fell through until next week.  I am gonna train another missionary and my son is gonna train also, so I am gonna be a grandpa in the mission!!! haha  I am excited!  I learned a lot training and I hope to learn more this transfer! I have learned that sons test your patience and I am sorry for testing your patience because I was a crazy kid sorta...  :)

This week I need to do my goals for this year.  I think I'll do them today! But anyways this week was weird because we couldn't work the first day of the year because everyone was way drunk and it was safer not to work. They were using fireworks until 2 in the morning..... We got permission to watch Work and the Glory, which was way cool.

This week I had a lot of growth.  I am learning to be self sufficient spiritually and physically. The mission is crazy, always have new things happening, but this week will be awesome!  I will pick up my new son and start from scratch again!  It will be legit!

 

So give Gramps a big hug and ask him if he remembers that one time when we went to visit Aunt Christina at her care center and as we were leaving, an old lady in the hallway stopped us, looked directly at me, and said, "You dirty old man!" It was really funny!  

Oh we also had a sweet encounter with a friend of a Gpa!

 

Love ya lots 

Elder Bowden