I received my flight plans.

This week was crazy as usual. We did some exchanges with some elders that work near the coast and their area is full of people, just loaded! They just have been having problems with the work. Its really strange seeing my progress through others.  Seeing the same problems they have, that I had not too long ago. But this next week will be hard. Almost everyone is having lots of problems and so we will have to try and fix it. One of us will be out of our area more days than in our area, but it should work out. We have another referencia from the young man who has a baptismal date for this week!! Our RC (recent converts) are needing lots of support.... It is really hard to do all that you need to when you don't have lots of time.... just have time to do whats most important. 

I received my flight plans. I'll get home Nov 30, at noon I think... I haven't looked at it much. I'm trying to not get trunky, so I tried to loose my flight plans!... :P   I am still a little sick, but I should be better by this week!

Love you lots, have a great week!!
Elder Bowden

ish fotos são muito legal!!!
feliz aniversario!!!!! velhies!!! :D

We had a Mission Leader Conference this week with a Seventy!

09-19-16

This week was really nuts... we had lots to do! We had a conference of the mission leaders this week and a 70 gave a training that was really good. He helped our president find a weak area in our mission and gave some advice on how we can have more success. He talked about how we need to have more perseverance = constancy + proactivity....about always working and working to change. Its really crazy how many missionaries don't change no matter how many times President or the Prophet say the same thing and we still don't apply it in our lives. His talk was really cool. He gave lots of techniques that are gonna be sweet to try. Also we now have to do exchanges with every missionary in the zone, every transfer. We are gonna have even less time to work in our area because we have tons of championships in the zone.... but it will work out! Hopefully they will want to put in practice what we teach. Its gonna be crazy, we will learn a lot! We will use lots of our money on the buses but it will help us manage our money even better. 

Lucas was baptized this week! It was way cool! He loves coffee but he dropped it and was baptized!! And Clemilton didnt go this week with his son... sadly, but we received a referral from a young man in the ward. Our young men are doing tons of missionary work/tons of referrals! We are working hard to meet the standards of the Lord but we will find a way to reach it with less time.

So Lucas collects coins and if you can send one of each coin that would be cool for him. Send more to give to other people, they like having strange coins. Oh and peanut butter, everyone here likes it. I'll let you know if anything else new happens. I'll have an interview with Pres this week, so it will be a good week!

Love ya lots!
Elder Bowden

Lucas, his mom, and his brother (all members)

 and parts of the zone.

We found some good families.

So this week we didn't have a baptism, but we found some good families. One of them, a father and a son, were way excited to go to church and my comp and I did an exchange to pick up investigators for church ( it is the only time we are allowed to do exchanges...) I thought that my comp would pick him up and he thought I would, but it ended up that we arrived in church and found out he hadn't passed and so we left to get him and he had just left.... :(   But this next week will work out! We have Lucas for this week.  He is a brother of another RC(recent convert). He is 21... it will be sweet! 

We were having some trouble with following up with all our RC because the ward wasn't helping or visiting any of them but he brought it up with the bishop and he should make sure that some one in the ward passes and visits them! This transfer has been really good for me to learn how to help RC and Understand better how to help them. My comp is a RC of 2 years as a member and he is helping me understand how it can be difficult to change ways of life. I have been so accustomed to being a member that it was really hard to put myself in their shoes. 

But everything is going good.  They asked me which air port I wanted and I put Scotland. I have always wanted to go there, so your gonna have to wait a little bit longer to see me! :P haha but I'll get home after thanksgiving. 

Love ya lots
Elder Bowden 

PS I dont really need anything, just things to trade/give to members. One thing I need is coins to give as souvenirs to the people here. Speaking of coins, I have been collecting some for the cousins! I'll send a photo. I just think I am gonna need a lot more coins.... :P

Elder Lima of the 70 talked with us this week!

This week was crazy, as usual, all of the people that were drunk wanted to talk with us, it was funny and very crazy!  We baptized Emanuel, which is another amigo of a RC. He was having problems having a answer from God, but Saturday he got one and decided to change his life. It was way cool!  :D  One of the other highlights of the week was Elder Lima of the 70 talked with us this week about working with members and obedience. It was cool!  He showed a video of a boat leaving a man in the water and the boat didn't stop to help, just passed on. He said that we do the same when we don't do missionary work. We leave our friends in the water without stopping and trying to save them. This last week we didn't have lots of time to work and we didn't reach our goals, so we don't have many people preparing to be baptized but we will work for a miracle!

Oh we are gonna play some sports today and I forgot my camera... and also my memory card is full. I  have another that has some photos that are corrupted to I'l just delete the photos and start filling that card! Love ya lots! 

Elder Bowden

PS godzilla has some claws that are pretty crazy,  so no I'm not bringing him home...I think I'll let him not destroy my face!

My comp was almost attacked by godzilla!!!

This week was awesome! Lots of crazy things happened... like my comp was almost attacked by godzilla!!! It was nuts and really fun... godzilla was just chilling in the middle of the sidewalk and then ran at my comp and he almost tackled me trying to run.. I thought it was funny. Also this drunk guy started hitting on me.... my comp thought it was really funny... so I guess I got my karma.

Anderson was going to seminary this whole week and the professor said he was responding better then the other students! The only problem was that his mom yelled at him and he got sad and didn't want to go to the interview. But we talked with him and it worked out! One of his friends, that he taught with us, has a baptismal date for 18th! Also he went to teach with us and some people thought he was already a missionary because he taught better then some missionaries I know! It was legit! He was baptized in the broken font.... but it was legit! We have some others preparing for this week but we are gonna have to work hard because they are still changing old habits! But it will work out.  If you can pray for them, that would be great! Pedro + Lucas, sons of a returning member and Emanuel friend of a RC!!

I have been saving my money for gifts.  I have been looking but they don't have lots of cool things here. I'll try and trade with elders for things that I can bring home! I have been rationing my money buying the things necessary. I thought it would be better to start learning how to manage where I use my limited money then "living out of my means". Just practicing for the future and trying to get skinny :P I don't remember my pw any more..... but what I think I remember I'll try sending to Meag.

What I would write to the primary kids? Probably sobre (about) the importance of prayer and just inviting their friends to church. We are having lots of success here because many people are losing their fear to just invite their friends to church or to hear the missionaries. But I think especially for kids that having everyone a missionary would be the best because the invitation is very easy to do and many times makes all the difference coming from a friend.

Give the Soderborgs a hug from me. This life passes so fast! Thankfully we will have plenty of time in the next to be together.

Love ya lots
Elder Bowden