I got pretty sick this week

This week was definitely one that I wont forget soon...  I got pretty sick this week and had to stay in the house one day.  I wanted to work the second day but had to go back a little early..  The bad news is that no one was baptized. Fransililda's (wife of Josuel) baby got sick so they had to go to the hospital and didn't get to go to church, but said this Sunday will be her baptism.  Josuel received the priesthood so he will baptize her, it will be awesome! I am way excited and we are trying to help the relative of David get baptized too!! 

Not too much happened this week because I got sick but I found my new favorite part until now of the Livro de Mormon: Alma 36-38 is full of awesome stuff! I have been studying that for a couple days and also the conference talks finally arrived to the mission so we can read them! So I'll be reading a lot… it will be awesome!! 

Elder Christiansen will come but they wont let the zones mix for photos or anything but if I can I'll try and say hi! Oh and Bre... Hermana Soto writes me every week :D 

On the bright side, no one who lives with me has money so we will all be hungry and lose weight together :D  But I am happy working hard trying to help more people… it will work out!!

Love you 

Elder Bowden

(This photo is missing a sword)

It was a rough day! I am still a little sore, but it could have been worse...

The last to weeks have been pretty crazy! Well two weeks ago we had stake conference and half of my zone are in the outskirts of the mission, Paracuru and Itapipoca, which are like 2 hours away from us. President said that they could go to stake conference but they had to work during church.... and because of this, they didn't get to confirm a baptism they would have..... and so moral of the story, we got punished because President didn't let the sisters go to church..... but no one is perfect, everyone makes mistakes....

So this week we had interviews with President. As we were arriving at the train station, one of the missionaries realized that he forgot his plaque, so I ran with him all the way back to the apartment then back to the train. We made it just in time to realize that it wasn't working for the holiday...... Then we took a bus but couldn't find our companions when we got there. After 30 minutes they arrived and said they had lots of problems with the assistants who told them they had to get off the bus, that they had already paid for, and go back to the house to pick up the area books (because the assistants forgot to tell us to bring them and they were scared to tell President that they forgot to tell us so they just caused more problems).... but anyway, we got there and the interview was strange. I asked why the sisters couldn't go to church and he said he didn't feel it was necessary that they went to the stake conference.... but I found a way to try and motivate the zone! ...with a zone P-day! But after the interviews, we realized that no one had money except for me, and I didn't have enough for everyone for the normal bus.... so we had to go looking for the smaller, cheaper buses. It ended up not working, because no one really knew where we could find one, everyone just guessed and acted like they knew what they were saying, so we ended up walking around looking for it for 2 hours.... We gave up and looked for a bank and everyone started guessing where the bank was and we got lost again, until we found two guys, who had member friends, and they guided us to the bank. When we got to where the normal buses were, I saw one that I thought passed through our area. I asked a missionary to check on it before we got on but he just said "I have fé (faith)" and we got on. It took us to our zone, but way far from our area, so we started walking again for another hour until we got to where we could pick up another bus to our area... When we saw one approaching, a member pulled up in front of us and the bus passed us.......  but luckily the member offered us a ride. The only down side was the van was already full and we had to cram like sardines.. but we finally got to our area and ate lunch at like 4:00! It was a rough day! I am still a little sore, but it could have been worse...

This Sunday was really good! Josuel brought his wife and she liked the church a lot and wants to be baptized next week! Hopefully Josuel will get a chance to baptize her, that would be awesome!!! Another RC(recent convert), David, brought his sister in law to church and she wants to be baptized!!! So hopefully we will have a great week!!! We are gonna work real hard!

Oh let me know the name of the elder who is serving in Fortaleza East and I'll take a photo with him next week!!!! Oh and I should come home the last part of November. It's crazy, the sisters who started their missions with me are going home in 2 weeks!!!! haha but I have a lot of time to work, so I am not worried :)

Thanks!!! love ya lots!!
Elder Bowden

 

Photo of Josuel, Andrea, Maria, Irismar 

Elder Correa, Elder Fiejoo and me

 

This week was full of awesome experiences...but you will have to wait till next week!

Sorry my zone got castigo (punished), so I only have a little time to email this week. This week wasn't very good for results of our work, but it was full of awesome experiences! I had 2 experiences this week where I was able to be taught and teach at the same time! It was really awesome! God was helping me a lot and I felt like I really had the chance to be an instrument in the Lords hands! It was awesome! We found a family who practically described the church when she said what she wanted in a church! We are gonna baptize this week and not be castigado, so I'll have more time to email next week... I hope!

Te amo!! I don't have any more time sorry!

Elder Bowden

Yes talks in the audio form please and just send the shoes in my closet please.

Problems with electricity and with the water... I hope I don't kill anyone with my smell!

This week was good, but crazy. We had 3 people who were prepared to be baptized this week. Josuel was one of them. The only sad part is that his wife didn't come again..... the others were Maria and Irismar! I took a picture. I just don't know if it will send, the computer is having some problems...  I took a picture of a monkey on the rooftops!  This week was crazy, had lots of stupid things happening, but we will keep working and have more success! The mission is going cray but it will get better, I hope! We will have a conference with Fortaleza East when Elder Christensen will visit our missions in like 3 weeks!

I saw my filho, Elder Chagas in the Conselho de Liderança (I don't remember how you say it in English). It was awesome! We got to go eat at a buffet with him and they charged him 10 reis more because of the amount of meat he had on his plate... he is a crazy and I taught him well :) Oh and my hair is getting crazy so I am gonna cut it today! Also we have been having lots of problems with electricity and with the water.  I didn't get a chance to take a shower, so I hope I don't kill anyone with my smell!.. but it will end alright, I have faith :D

Oh toothpaste, please send good toothpaste, the kind they have here is strange......  and my shoes... aren't gonna live too much longer but I'll try and find some new ones. I'll send photos. Oh I thought about queso... and well it would be really lovely to taste some if it not too much to ask? I miss good cheese... :P  

I am getting tired, but I'll keep working and hopefully I'll take a nap today! Love ya lots and thanks for the help :D
Elder Bowden

 Oh also if you could send a pen drive with the general conference and good talks that would be sweet!!!

Elder Perna e eu são doido!!

I have a new comp!

Don't send me the photos please:) haha I am getting trunky and I want to stay focused. The baptism didn't work out. she didn't go to church and the mom was having problems letting her be baptized with her grandma.... but we are working real hard and we will prepare 3 people for this week. Josuel is one who is preparing. He is going to church alone. He is way excited! He told me in church yesterday that his wife didn't want to go, "but he will help her". He is really awesome. He's already realizing the blessings to have the priesthood and trying to bring his wife and daughter! We also have 2 new visitors to prep for this week. Its gonna be a fast week but I have made plans to help them stay firm in the church and have friends!! :) 

So my new comp works hard and we will work good together but can be a little bit fubeca but I am gonna try real hard to help him be more obedient so he can give an example to a new missionary.

 

So I made a list of things I would like if possible: The packets of cheese of mac n cheese or shells and cheese (I don't need noodles) :D , jam(raspberry or some kind of delicious), peanut butter, skittles and salsa would be awesome,  and basketball shorts my size or a little bigger for other Elders, and pancake mix or a recipe? and photos of the baptisms so I can send letters to the RC to motivate them. My shoes have holes in the sides but I'll try and get them fixed here if I can. I'll send some pics when I have time :) I'll try and take a lot but its hard to remember... :( sorry!

Love ya lots, it was good to see you :) Vamos trabalhar até o pó!!!!

Elder Bowden

This was awesome to see godzilla!! He was just chillin!

Don't worry the Lord blessed me and I didn't die.

This week was good! We had Josuel visit the church for the 2nd time and he likes it a lot! He is praying a lot to get his response. The only bad part was his wife didn't go to church but she said she will go this week and they have a bap date for next week! It will be awesome! 

I got a new Comp!! Elder Correa, another Brazilian! He will arrive tomorrow and I'll have to plan with him how we are gonna talk with you guys and when! I went to the outskirts of the zone in a place called Itapipoca to do a training and some interviews this Saturday. It was nuts, we didn't get lunch that day so be bought some fried snacks and ate some ice cream, then started our fast!!! Don't worry the Lord blessed me and I didn't die. I just don't have plans to do that again... I took some pic out there and I'll send them. 

Oh also the tortillas were awesome! We just needed some good salsa to go with them! We are gonna work really hard and I am preparing a list of things I need.  It's mostly food but you know its definitely the essentials to survive ;) 

 I have been teaching lots of English so I can speak more or less now!! :) I am really excited to speak with you guys... its gonna be crazy! Have a great week and don't do anything crazy!!! I am going crazy because its p-day and I am gonna be free! haha

Love you lots! I am gonna keep working hard and I'll talk to you all about the mission in 7 days!!

Elder Bowden

Yummy tortillas!

The bus looks like a plane (bus to Itapipoca)

PMG is helping a lot! I hope your using it!

This week was good but ended weird we are teaching a woman who had lots of problems and she didn't want to live anymore. It was nuts! She has had a really difficult life and didn't want to live any more. We have been teaching her for 2 weeks and she has changed completely and she wants to live! She is every day a happier person and has a desire to do what God wants her to do. Its awesome! The only bad news is she had a baptism date for this week but  she wasn't feeling good towards the end of the week (Friday) and we haven't seen her since. She said she wanted to visit the hospital, but we don't know where she is. We also had some others in the igreja, a family that is just starting out and liked the church a lot. They just need to get married. Hopefully they will here soon! 

Oh we also had a conference with half the mission! It was awesome... got lots of pics to send! And David is rocking it! We gave him a BOM in English and challenged him to see who can read it first! I am seeing more and more what the Lord expects of me and I hope that I can do my part.  PMG is helping a lot! I hope your using it with the YM/YW it will help a lot! 

Your gonna need to give Steve T a big hug for me when you go to see him in the hospital! So I think we are gonna have to try to call at 10:30 because after 4 your time I cant call. The only time we have is before you leave. I'll have to plan out everything with a new comp that I'll get next week, so its gonna be crazy but I'll try and let you know what will happen next time I email. 

Advice for Sister Jolley... start practicing the language now! You don't have a lot of time in the MTC and if she wants to have the most success... start practicing now. Or at least practice the lessons with her dad or something like that.

Love ya estou animado para falar com voces!

Elder Bowden

A photo with David! We are definitely normal!

2 of the elders in the photo photobombed the zone!

Isso é Geralda!

This picture with all of us was definitely award winning! :p