Monday, August 5, 2013

Week 16 - It's All Coming Together :]

Well well well my family, we meet again.
haha ok so is everyone ready for the scoop on how my past week was, cuz it was terribly hard and good... like always.
Monday, just another p-day EXCEPT we finally met david! and we basically spent the time getting to know him and his situation. It was so so neat to see the spirit working through me and Sister Tau, as we were discussing what he should do with his parents and making this decision all these scriptures kept coming to me and Sister Tau. It was a very inspired lesson, and it was cool to leave him with some scriptures to read, we told him to pray about it and that we would see him soon.
 
Tuesday, we had zone conference which was so so good. It's always a good time getting to be surrounded by other missionaries, at times you feel that it's just you and your companion against the world haha but then you go to one of those and you're reminded oh.. right, you guys are all here too. The whole theme of it was missionaries and their impressions on their ward, during it Sister Pingree had emailed all of our bishops asking how we were doing in our areas. As we were going through the paper i hurried and skimmed through it looking for the one that was about me and tau. "Our current missionaries have quickly bonded with ward members and are gaining their trust. They are doing this through hard work. Members report that they see them on their bikes all over the ward and they've been systematically visiting less active and part-member families. When they visit a member's home they always leave a spiritual thought and invite the Spirit in the home" woo woo! i'm glad at least someone has noticed us out there:] One thing that i learned from the conference is that love is our greatest motivation. I think that's why the #2 advice i got was just love the people. I know that's so key. If you love the people it makes you wanna work. If i'm learning anything right now it's to FINALLY put other people before myself. Those of you that know me best know that i have rarely done this in my life. But i've dedicated myself to doing it here and now. I know that as you put someone before yourself it truly shows them how much you care about them, they are more willing to trust you, and that can move mountains with missionary work.
 
Wednesday, i had to say goodbye to Elder Hardy:// which was SO sad. haha heck, i HATE that part of the mission, it brings these super awesome great people into your life, and then in almost a cruel way rips them right out again. I know this was against the rules but the past 2 transfers Hardy is CONSTANTLY talking smack, ooh i'm a big bad wrestler.. ooh i'm a 3 time state champion haha so naturally i had to put him in a headlock as my way of saying goodbye:] ya know,, i'm just breakin him in for when he goes home!
 
 
I also got a "box of sunshine" from aunt Tosha!! THANK YOU SO MUCH! haha i seriously loved it. it's always so good to hear from family back home and to know that they are still thinking about ya! BUT i do have 1 request. So since me and Tau have been together she's gotten 1 letter from tonga, one. and her parents haven't even emailed her. SO could someone please send my dear best most favorite companion a package?? She loves, kit kats anything sour she loves the color green. haha she loves string cheese, i think it would be so neat for her to get a package. seriously.
 
 
Oh and that night we had an awesome night with Raechel Britto, she told us that after her mother-in-law left she realized that the church and her are not the same thing. she said that a huge wall that was blocking her from the church is now gone! that's so great! It's too bad though that for so long she put those two together, her mother-in-law (bless her heart) it just kinda crazy overboard. She seems very forceful in how she teaches her kids and ultimately it has pushed them away. I know mom's put a lot on themselves in trying to raise their children the right way, but i think the best way to do it is by example. Actions will always always speak so much louder than words.I'm pretty sure i bore my testimony to about 5364968 doors this past week, haha when we went tracting NO one would answer, so after awhile Tau just started bearing her testimony to the door. It made me laugh the first time but honestly it was kinda therapy for us. Hey we may not have changed a person's life but daaaang, that door will never be the same:] Cameron and Joel Henke are going to be baptized on August 17!!!! Can we all just have a little victory dance? Todd talked to the bishop and he said "The sisters have a way of making me feel a lot more comfortable with all of this" mmm it's not us my friend, that would be the spirit:] On Sunday it was seriously convert testimony day. All the adult converts in our ward got up and shared their testimonies which was so so awesome! John Maiva was there and i think the whole day was directed to him, which was neat because we had been fasting for him.  Anyways, in relief society they also had time to bear their testimonies and every woman that got up just talked about missionary work and the influence that we have had in their ward. My mind was blown, because seriously at times i feel like i don't even do anything. I think it's in words of mormon... verse 7 or 8 where it talks about how "i don't really know anything, but the spirit worketh in me" That's the best way i can describe it. It's sometimes weird to have people just thanking us and thanking us, it in a way almost feels wrong to accept their gratitude? I really don't do anything, i'm just a body that bikes around and occasionally people let me into their house. It's all the Lord. During relief society though mama blattman turned to me and whispered "You still wondering why you're here" haha no, i'm not wondering anymore. After church me and Tau felt impressed to go see the Maiva's we called them up and they said yeah come over. haha so we did our personal study and when it came time to do companion study Tau looked at me and said Denny (weird nickname i know haha) i can't stop thinking that we need to invite him to be baptized today. Which was SO weird, because during my study time that thought jumped into my head and i thought.. no no, we haven't even really taught him yet, but then it kept coming back and i finally just said ok fine, even if sister tau isn't expecting it i will invite him to be baptized. TALK ABOUT COMPANIONSHIP UNITY. It's cool to see that the spirit is prompting both me and Tau on the same things. So we had an awesome first discussion with John Maiva and we invited him to be baptized. The spirit was so strong and i'm excited for the work me and Tau have started up here in Fairfield.
I just feel.... good. haha it's not easy, it really isn't but there are moments that i can't even express the joy i feel in my heart. With missionary work, hard work and effort will always pay off. You keep trying even when you don't want to. You keep going even when the last thing you wanna do is get on a bike.  I love the gospel, i love the atonement, i love the changes that i have been able to witness in others and myself. I'm so grateful to be serving here in hell:] it truly humbles me everyday which let's be honest... i probably need:] i love you all and miss you all the days! Keep fighting the good fight!
Love, Sister Bowden

No comments:

Post a Comment