Saturday Sept. 29, 2012: Pictures--Hermana Bowles

These sisters were pretty proud to have

won the packages of skittles and starbursts.

Skittles is a hot item for the missionaries.

Great job Hermanas Bowles, Vasquez, Boyer and Alvaer

Pictures--9/24/12

Monday Sept. 24, 2012 Elder Bowles

Dear Mom and Dad,

 

I wanted to go to the Newport Beach Temple, but it was closed for cleaning so we had to go to the LA temple.   Maybe next time I will get to go to the Newport Beach Temple.  I heard that is a small temple.  Yes we had fun golfing but I lost-- I am really terrible at golfing.  I would get ready to hit it and would miss it and finally hit that golf ball.

 

We just had zone conference this week.  It was with 3 other zones and I love zone conference it is like a mission reunion.  It is just great to get back together and catch up on the conversation we had last time.  It is great.   This week one of the ward members said that one of their neighbors needed help doing some service outside.   She was like we got someone from our church to help.  So we got to meet her and set up a time to come back and do that service for her.  We come back on that different day and we are pulling out her weeds, then 5 minutes later her gardner says you guys can go we got the rest of it.  It turned out she hired a new gardner and didn't know he would come that soon.  We only did service for like 5 minutes-- it was the shortest one I have done on my mission.  Oh well.

 

This week we got to teach a new investigator.  He looks like (santa clause) ha ha.  he wanted to know more about where we were going to go after this life.  We talked a lot about the spirit world we asked him good questions and we repeated them to him about 2 to 3 more times.  I don't know if he was all the way there yet or what, but we are going to teach him more about the restoration tomorrow and explain how our religion came to be.  We had zone conference,  teaching a couple people, less actives, members, investigator a baptism and we have been busy this week.  I am glad it is good to stay busy.  I don't know if this makes up for last week or if this is enough.  I am sending my pictures.  I remember to bring my camera because I have a lot to send.  Thanks for the package and everything. When does derek return back I know it is soon.

 

Love Elder Bowles

 

Monday Sept. 24, 2012: Hermana Bowles--Woo-hoo, going to Iquitos

My Dear family:

How neat that they dedicated the temple in Brigham City!!!!   Who else was there besides President Packer?

Wow.....if this email is a little scatter-brained I`m sorry.  President Blunck called Hermana Vasquez and I last night and today we`re being transferred to the Zona Punchana in Iquitos.   We have to take all 23 kilos of our stuff crammed in dusty luggage to Lima.  Well,actually....the plan is that we fly to Lima at 6 tonight with the other hermanas in the mission for a special hermana conference in Lima tomorrow. After the conference we have to renew my Peru ID card and then Wednesday or Thursday we fly to Iquitos to work in a ward there.   It`s sad to leave Morales because I think of all the sweet sisters and families that I honestly have grown to love.  What will we do without them????  oh my heart is so sad.

We had such a special zone conference this week that focused on how to study.  It was so wonderful and going through a practice study of the scriptures with President Blunck was so spiritually special. The Book of Mormon came alive as he taught us how to put in the historical context, pick out conditions and promises, and personalize everything for the families we are teaching. 
Scripture study is what will keep us converted.


love always,
Hermana Bowles

Sept. 20, 2012: Letter Excerpts from Hermana Bowles

Here is a sweet story Kristin wrote about in a letter we received this week:

 

"Last Wednesday we had service at la Familia Macedo's again.  They bought a house in la Banda (other side of Morales) and are adding on rooms for the kids in the lot behind.  We helped them level and take out rocks and they gave us lunch after.  It was at this point that the modern day miracle of the "bread and fishes" took place.  First out of the pot of rice Hermana Macedo served four missionaries...then her husband...then the branch mission leader and a friend...then herself.  Of course then I thought, "Wow how great that all that rice fit in one little pot."  We sat there talking for a while, and then she served her two little kids...and then the grandparents came in...oh, and then their oldest daughter and her friend came home from school and were served, too.  Wow, wow, wow, wow,wow...the rice pot had no end.  Heavenly Father is aware of our needs down to a pot of rice!"

Love, 

Hermana Bowles

Tuesday September 18, 2012: Elder Bowles

Dear Mom and Dad:

 

You must understand I am really tired because today we went to the temple.  We woke up at 3:00am in the morning and by the end of the day I will have been awake for 17 hours so I will try and remember what happened this week.

 

No byu lost!!!! Such a close game.   Grandma told me a lot about it, we kicked a field goal but it hit the pole. so close.  We are prepared for the Boise game at Boise.   That will be another big game to watch.  I heard Boise lost once and we lost once.  Yes I am enjoying my new area and it's going wonderful, I just keep forgeting to give you my new address.  Once again I don't have my planner with me because we just got back from the temple.  We are getting a little more busy and it is picking up.  Two days ago we also had stake conference and one of the recent converts from our ward spoke at stake conference.  She bore her testimony on how she was led to this true and living church.  It was really good and she had a good testimony and is doing awesome in the gospel.   At stake confernce they addressed the members about missionary work on how you can share the gospel better in your homes and where ever you go it was really good.  There are simple ways you can share the gospel.  As Henry B Ering said the best way to share the gospel is to live it.  Good advice for all of us.

 

 Everything is going well-- did a lot of service this week to a nonmember.  I was very excited about that.   Today on the way back from the temple we got to visit and see a Buddist Temple ---yes I have pictures and they are opened only on Tuesday so we got to go and see how the other cultures do and how they worship. I just took picures on the outside, it would not be appropriate on the inside.  So I am sorry I'm really tired.   Next week I will write more, and send pictures and more stuff.

 

Thank you

Love Elder Bowles

Monday September 17, 2012: Hermana Bowles--"God really answers prayers

Hola Familia:

 

This week we met a 22 year old who had such good questions and a desire to KNOW......sometimes that`s when you look at people and you can see them in 10 or 20 years as the future bishop, deacon`s teacher, or stake president.  His questions were better -timed than the MTC :)  It was neat because he grew up Catholic, but as we explained how Christ was baptized and how it would be alright if he "baptized again", he began to understand.  THis 22 year old would be the future patriarch!!!  The only problem is that he still lives with his mother, who is extremely Catholic and not open to any kind of change whatsoever.   After the second appointment she wouldn`t let us back in.   We`re leaving a Book of Mormon with him .......hopefully his time will come in the future when he moves out of his house.

 

God really answers prayers.  Hermana Vasquez and I were tracking down references last night from a "Blitz" that we recently did in the area (where all the missionaries in the zone go and knock on doors in a certain part of your area).   Everything kept falling through and we kept walking walking walking and as we walked to track down "just one more" Herman Vasquez said out loud, "pleassssssse Heavenly Father let us find a family."   The next reference was a man and his wife with their two little kids :)  We taught a little about the plan of salvation and have a return appointment on Wednesday. woohoo.

 

Thursdy we ate lunch with a new family of members that just moved here from Colombia.  The couple have three little children......who have lots lots lots of energy.  Lunch consisted of the wife dropping off her daughter at school, coming back (lunchbox and everything) because the teachers are on strike, the 3 year old son running around in the quinta and getting lost, watching the tv wobble as they wrestled beneath the tv stand, having the little daughter teach us how to dance, the little son eating lunch while skating around on his skateboard, the little kids playing cat and owner while one crawled around on hands and knees and the other hand fed it soup.....somtimes I see cute little kids here and just wish I could hug and squeeze them.....and other times I want to take 10 ibuprofens......it`s okay. kids are kids.  This same little boy is the one who after sacrament meeting looks at everyone out of the side of his eyes  and moves his eyebrows up and down.

 

Love always,

Hermana Bowles