I know they were two of the best years for my life!

So last week we baptized Joao Victor, it was awesome! And I got a new comp for a week, another American, Elder Wade. It was so nuts haha! Three Americans together was the best. I will tell you more about the rest of my week/mission on Wednesday but for now I am going home tomorrow alone and I wont stay in the mission home. I'll have my interview with Pres, then maybe eat lunch, then I go to the airport. Both my comps were Secretaries so they know how it works more than I do. 

I received my package and my comps have already eaten all the candy inside, but Presidente didn't let me pass by my RC(recent convert) so I wont be able to give them the peanut butter..... :( 

I have no idea what I want to eat... there are lots of places I want to eat but we will see in a couple days. Today I looked at my progress on my mission and realized that I am becoming better but far from perfect. I am seeing how I can apply what I learned in the mission to my life. It's gonna be way fun! I know that Christ is my Savior and I am grateful for His help. He makes it so much easier, but we just got to let Him. I am grateful you helped me serve. I know they were two of the best years for my life! I'll see you soon and tell you about the rest!

TE amo!!
Elder Bowden


some photos of this week

This week was really weird with mixed emotions of it being my last week to be a missionary...

This week was really good. We almost reached our potential as a zone... almost every dupla baptized!!! We unfortunately didn't baptize this week. Roberta our pesquisador (investigator) was prepared and passed the interview, but her daughter got sick and she went to the hospital. But she has a date for this Sunday!! She is way excited! We also had 2 confirmations this week. Fran was one and she had a desire to help one of her friends. It was awesome! She took us to meet her friend Camila and she was way receptive and has a date for 27...... :( haha I will miss it but I'll still receive a Picture! :D 

Oh I had a sweet experience this week as I was conversing with some investigators in another ward. They have already received an answer from God but just had a little bit of worries. It was sweet as the Spirit guided and helped them have the courage to follow God and Remember Who He Is and What He can do! They were baptized this week and have a goal on the temple! Families can be forever!!!!

This week was really weird with mixed emotions of it being my last week to be a missionary... last testimony for fast Sunday...... I have one week to remember and put in practice all that I have learned! Haha!  I had a thought that missions are the best looking back!  It is so cool seeing where God can mold you and test you and make you stronger. I Know now why God wants everyone to serve missions... because He wants to teach us how we can have a easier life and help us grow. I know that Christ is My Savior and how He loves me, but now I know how I can show my love for Him! I have been praying a lot lately that I can put in practice what I have learned here because it really has made a difference in my life.

Te amo muito,

 Elder Bowden


A bunch of photos of Fran and one of the district (groups of missionaries) that we take care of:

I love the scriptures they are awesome!

This week was pretty awesome! We had a batismo and more cake!!! :)  It was awesome that Fran was baptized this week. She has been investigating for some time and this week it work out for her... it was really cool! She really wants to learn more about family history! This week she was trying to explain to some colleagues about the church and they just went to the Internet to find lots of things that are antimormon. Her colleagues are studying about our church for school and she wants to make sure that they dont say things that are wrong. It's really strange to me now how people trust more in the Internet these days than the scriptures or God. For example, yesterday we were teaching a family about the church of Christ and the Restoration and about asking God for an answer, and tons of people just say "I want to stay in my church even if God responds." 

I was studying a lot about humility this week and realized that it is really hard to have pure humility. I was reading one of favorite scriptures in Ether 12;27... God gives us weaknesses so we can trust/rely more in his help and his grace. God gives us "lack of wisdom" so we can learn to ask him for answers. But if we think that we already know what is right before asking, (a weakness), we just lose the blessing of God's guidance and his perfect answer in our lives. I feel really sad when I see that others dont have the humility to ask, but I just hope that one day they will. God knows I am not perfect with this, but he is helping me become better. 

Oh so this week my comp and I are loving reading the scriptures. We try and get to our prep for the day faster then normal so we can have more time to study!! It's really awesome! This week I learned a little bit more about charity. I love the scriptures they are awesome! I Know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. If we have the humility to read it sincerly, and ask God sincerely, it is not possible to not recieve an answer. I know that through the sciptures we can recieve the answers we need. It has been really sweet this week to see God giving me answers! 

This week I have a couple people who are preparing to be baptized!! :D Sorry I cant send photos this week. I dont trust the computer I am using so I'll try and send lots next week :) Hey and my talk is for how much time?!!???  Estou feliz, estou com muito fome e estou muito animado. Amo voces muito!!! (I'm happy, I'm very hungry and I'm very excited. I love you very much!)

Elder Bowden

My very first baptism went to the temple already!!!!

This week was a little crazy... we had lots of stuff happen... We had mission council on Thursday where the assistants gave the mission a training on goals (it was the same training we gave to the assistants when they visited one of our district meetings.) It was funny to get trained about the stuff we trained them!) At the conference I met an Elder that was in the area where I started my mission (Metropolitana) and he told me that my 1st baptism went to the temple already!!!! That was really cool and also Elder Chagas baptized the family that we were preparing to baptize before I got transferred!!

They made me a cake and we had pizza for meu birthday! It was pretty good... so good that we made 2 more cakes last week! :D  We also tried a fast food that they dont have in the states. It was pretty good. I have 3 weeks to try everything and reach my goals, so I am gonna go crazy today and am gonna go shopping for stuff in the center of Fortaleza. Its gonna be nuts! Oh I am gonna try and sacar (I don't remember how to say this word in English....)(take) money from the bank!!! 

We are working to reach our goals as a zone. We are working hard and planning hard so it should all work out. :)   Haha, my comps are more trunky than I am. They are always reminding me and messing with me, but I am trying hard to focus ish. Tell Meagan that I remember Elder Udy. I saw him when he was preparing his passport to leave Brazil....small world! :)

LOve ya tons!
Elder Bowden

Italo foi batizado