Monday, August 19, 2013

Week 18 - It's Not So Much The Words We Say . . . .

Hi, hey, well hello there!
So another week bites the dust and i can honestly say i think in the real world it is nearly impossible to learn all the things that i have learned this past week. It blows my mind how much is jam packed into one day and how i can go to bed a totally different person than who i was when i woke up.
So we had exchanges this week and Sister Allred the sister training leader came into our area and hung out with me for a day! We had an awesome time doing a little service at the ranch... well it was almost awesome. They got a couple new horses and one of them is named sampson. Sampson is HUGE and i don't know, he's a good horse. but anyways, i was taking good old sampson out of the pasture and putting him into his stall as i stopped right in front of his stall he did too... haha as he stopped he placed his front hoof on my foot. I instantly thought well that's alright i have really strong feet la la la, but as he stepped forward into his stall i felt a little crunch. Ah yeah, my teeny baby toe got smashed by sampson! I didn't wanna make a big deal out of it, so i just kinda hobbled away.. haha a couple minutes later though it was black and blue and ya know all that great stuff. The rest of the day was awesome and I was happy that i had the chance to show Sister Allred that contrary to popular belief me and Tau really do have a lot of work going on in Fairfield.
We got to go to the temple this past Friday so that was pretty neat. It's always so calming to just sit in the celestial room, say a little prayer and just feel that special spirit that is there. Afterwards we had a lesson with David! We taught him about Obedience and following the prophet. We put on this little clip that's called words of the prophets, which goes through each prophet from Joseph Smith to Thomas S. Monson and shares a little bit of their testimonies. At the end we each shared our testimonies with him and it was SO sweet, to hear David talk of how important prophets are in the world today. I shared with him that my favorite prophet (believe it or not) is Spencer W. Kimball and how if we would all just "lengthen our stride" i think we would be amazed at the things we each individually can do! As he said the closing prayer he said Heavenly Father please help me to lengthen my stride and to be ready to be baptized. I can't tell you guys how exciting it is to know that what you shared with your investigator really sunk in. It's those moments where you just wanna stand up on the table and do a little fist pump! haha but really it's been such a privilege to teach David, and i know that the missionaries up in college station are gonna take good care of him... Well that and i told them that if they didn't i would come up there myself and put them both in headlocks. 
SATURDAY! my teeny baby henke boys got baptized!!! and it. was. incredible. Their dad mister lutheran man gave a talk on both baptism and the holy ghost and i was just blown away. He was up there quoting joseph fielding smith and talking like he had been a member his whole life. Can i just say that seeing their family 3 months ago to where they are now is incredible?? Heavenly Father truly can soften even the hardest of hearts, and i have witnessed that for myself. As i walked into the room saturday to go shake his hand i could just see him light up, he's starting to feel it! and i know that as me and Tau continue to go over there he's going to be baptized soon:] 
We had dinner with the Sorenson's last night and they also are a new family that moved in about a month ago. During sacrament meeting their kids tend to be a little noisy and i had always wondered why they seemed to scream more than the other floods of children in fairfield. Last night though i finally got to know why. Their 4 year old son kyler was born with a cleft palate and has a strong form of autism. As we were eating dinner i watched as she patiently would try to get him to eat, it started with Kyler eat a strawberry. He'd scream and cry and say he would rather not, She then would say ok kyler can you stab your strawberry? He'd fight but then he got the strawberry on his fork. She then said Ok can you put the strawberry to your lips? Just let it touch your lips. He quickly let it touch his lips and then he hurried and screamed that he didn't like it. Patiently she said Ok kyler, can you put the strawberry on your teeth? Again the same thing. Ok kyler, can you put the strawberry on your tongue? Just patient, patient, patient. She did this with 3 strawberries and seriously at this point i just thought wow, this woman has more patience than anyone i've ever met. Throughout dinner, we got to know them a little bit better and things were good! We started sharing our message with them, which we put on the mormon message Moments that Matter Most. Afterwards i don't know what the heck got a hold of me but i started crying as i bore my testimony to them. I know that there is such a sweet spirit in their home. I know that every effort that her and her husband make is recognized by Heavenly Father and that they are the only two that could raise their son Kyler. I haven't cried in a lesson really while i've been out here on a mission and as we were walking home last night i thought, oh crap. They're breaking me. They got to me, the people in fairfield have really opened me up. I love them, and not my everyday oh hey love ya sorta thing, like i sincerely care about what is happening in these people's lives. I really do want to help them in whatever way possible. The ward mission leader said the other day, Utah if i had known you were this funny the first week we would have been off to even a better start. haha well the same goes to them, if i had known the first week of being here that i would come to love them this much i would have not hesitated in the slightest. If i have learned anything this past week it's that loving someone can purify you. As you give of yourself without hesitation without guarding yourself, it actually makes you a better person. And i just don't like that, especially because transfers are whaddayaknow, next freakin week! haha of course. But dang this ward, for making me care. haha i'm just kidding, it's honestly been just a week full of learning. 
Mama Blattman texted us yesterday and said i just had thee worst dream ever. I asked her what happened? and she said that in her dream it was decided that because me and Tau are so dang great together they decided to keep us together but just move us to a new area. Mama Blattman i guess woke up crying and super upset, she said i guess i didn't realize just how much i do need you two. Man, people need me out here on a mission. I couldn't help but think of just how selfish it would be of me to say Kick rocks texas i'm going home! This week was awesome:] One more week and than it's transfers time yet again,, it comes to quick. But I want you to know that i love you all. I think about you guys often.... well as often as i can, and i pray for you nightly. Heavenly Father makes all the time in the world for us, i think it's good to make just a little bit of time for him. Have a great week, drink 3 mucho mangos, go skinny dipping in the pool, and know that texas is the other side of hell:]
Much love!
-Sister Bowden


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