Tuesday March 27, 2012: Elder Bowles

Dear Mom and Dad,

 

Oh yeah, I will get a picture of my companion and
the apartment.  I just tell myself that I will remember it  and then I
forget it in the future.  So it's all good.  Well well well the food
list goes on and on.  I didn't like a lot of foods before my
mission.  Now I eat salad, tomatoes, cucumbers, mustard, really small cut
apples, onions, and carrots.  I think that is it.  That's all I can think
of.  Are you impressed?   I hope you are because I have improved a lot in
that year.  A lot of missionaries are impressed because they knew I hated
healthy stuff.  If there is dessert I will definitely eat that.  So all
is good.

One more week with Elder Henry and hopefully he will get his visa to
Brazil.  He as been here in california for 8 months.  Where is Derek going
to on his mission?    Oh yeah I saw Elder Parker about 4-5 months ago.  He is doing
great.  It was so weird to see him in the same mission as I am.  I
don't know where he is at now, all I know is I am in whittier-- the black
hole!!!  I am going to make Cinnamon rolls this week for general
conference I am so pumped about it and can't wait.

 

The members here in Whittier are feeding us really well.  So that is good.

I love this ward and am really excited.  Being a missionary is awesome!

Hey guess what?   We were visiting our ward mission leader's house and he
said where are you from?   I said Orem Utah by Harmons.  His wife
said hey Lorna, this boy is from Orem.  She walks in and said are you
Garrett?  I said yea hey how are you doing?  Lorna went to the same
high school with me-- is that crazy!!  I was in a class with her in high
school.  That is the 3rd person I have seen in California that I know.  So I guess
I will see her every week.  We received a referral last week and we
tried to go by the next day.  We asked if Michael was there.  The dad answered
that's my son and he died a week ago.  I was so in shock and said is
there anything that we can do?   Nothing.   Our referral died before we could
reach him.  Crazy right?

A couple of days after that we met a person and we were teaching him about
the restoration.  He is a born again Christian. 
He doesn't believe in baptism.  I was like, "It says it in the King
James version of the bible."   So we shared a
scripture about baptism if you are not baptized you will be dammed.
We were being honest to him.  That scripture is from the bible.  Then
I asked him, "Remember we talked about the authority from God to teach
and baptize?"   I said,  "Your pastor at church, where did he get his
authority from?"  He said uuuummmm you believe.  I said,  "Wow that's
really easy but it doesn't work that way-- everyone can believe.  Do
you mean laying on of hands?"  He said yea.  Okay I understand those
people who laid their hands on the Pastor where did they get the
authority?  He could not respond.  It was really
cool-- he did not have an answer.  Now that was following the spirit by asking
inspired questions.   We have a return appointment this Friday to talk to
him about the plan of salvation.

 

 We went to the temple this morning and it was
lovely.  The temple presidency spoke to us and it was really cool.  I
learned some interesting things.  We got back late so I am writing
this email really fast and I"ll send the pictures next week because we've
got to do laundry and sports and shopping.   I want to play sports.  

Enjoy General Conference and have a wonderful week.

 

 Love Elder Bowles