My favorite people!
Well there goes another week and i can't believe that i'm already
sitting here again trying to figure out what to share! This past week
was awesome:]
Tuesday night was probably the first time that i have ever actually felt
frustrated with Combs. We were getting ready to go to dinner and i asked
her ok what do you feel like sharing with the family and she paused and
said well i don't know.. ahh i was so tired and i was hoping she would
have something she wanted to share but... no haha so i whipped something
out and then when we got home we had to get ready for exchanges. I was
feeling pretty excited for exchanges cuz in my head i was thinking woo
hoo! i'm gonna be with the sister training leader, i get a day to just
let her take the lead, i can just take a breather.... haha oh oh good
one. So i get with Sister Morris and we start doing a little planning
for the next day... she talked for an hour and a half. i was so tired
that i just crawled into bed and passed out. The next day ALL the
appointments that they had planned fell through.. so ya know what we
did?! it's probably my most favorite thing to do as a missionary... we
tracted. ALL DAY. But it wasn't just that we were tracting it was the
fact that as we started out Sister Morris made the comment it usually
takes me awhile to warm up to people. So instead of getting the day
break that i was planning on getting, i ended up working my butt off in
somebody else's area and found them a couple potential investigators.
When we got back to our church to swap back me and combs were SO excited
to see each other! hahaha my heart got all happy and you would have
thought we hadn't seen each other for 5 years or something. I read
during studies Alma 29:3 which basically says we need to be grateful for
the things which the Lord has given us instead of just wanting
something better all the time. Thank you exchanges for truly making me
so so grateful for a companion that laughs at my jokes, that keeps me
laughing even when we wanna punch something, that has my back at all
times, and who is truly someone that i can rely on. I've realized that
having a good companion really can make or break missionary work. It
affects everything haha so maybe president should just let us pick our
own companions from now on right?:]
We've
been doing service at an Alzheimer's place here in Katy and freak can i
just tell you how much i love it!! The first time i was kinda nervous
not really knowing what to expect and the ladies basically took us to
the people and said have at it. The first time we just sat and talked
with different people and the second time we taught a painting class
hahaha aka we painted circles with them. It literally was the greatest
thing i have ever done. You talk to one of them and la la la within 5
minutes you are reintroducing yourself and they are telling you how
pretty you are for the 17th time. They are so precious and i love going
over there. The only crappy part is that they don't allow us to take
pictures:/ cuz seriously i would love you guys to see Edna and Jackie
haha Jackie is hilarious and ALWAYS has bright red lipstick. she's
always excited to see you.. over and over again. They really do put a
smile on your face.
Me
and combs have this inside joke where we say mmm we don't work hard we
walk hard. Which is probably the truest statement i have ever said. We
walk the streets of Katy like no one's business i don't think i have
ever walked so much in my gosh dang life. One day we had to walk to
other side of China to try and track down a less active lady just to
find out that she didn't even live there... one thing's for sure i will
not be gaining one gosh dang pound while i am serving here, not even
one:]
We
had dinner with a family in the ward this past week whose son is
hilarious he's i think 12 or 13 and sarcasm is his finest trait. At one
point during dinner the dad said Braden will you pass the rolls, i'm
gonna eat one? and he responded with oh no way dad i thought you were
gonna put it in your wallet! haha me and combs were busting a gut the
whole time even though i think at times it annoyed the parents. Ah, i
love people who can make me laugh.
That night after dinner we got back
to our apartment and low and behold ricardo was walking to his mailbox.
He made the statement I swear i keep running into you guys for a reason
and you bet your bottom we jumped all over that! of course you keep
running into us ricardo! Heavenly Father is clearly trying to get your
attention! We had a really really awesome lesson with him about the word
of wisdom and we were asking questions to try and get a feel for where
his testimony was at. He said that he believe the Book of Mormon to be
true! So i feel like this was not all in vain! We fasted for him sunday
to go to church... well he did go to church just not ours. haha but hey
we ended up getting him over there last night for a tour and it was a
really neat experience. I think he really is starting to get excited
about the church and the impact that it could have on his life. At one
point he asked if he would be able to do what me and combs do and it
completely caught me off guard. I asked him why he was thinking about it
and he said that he just wants to impact other people that way that we
have impacted him. He also made the comment Sister Bowden i don't think
you realize how influential you really are.. the way you say things and
the way you act towards people really does leave a lasting impact on
them. I'm not really sure what that even means but hey if something i
said clicked with Ricardo then by golly i just moved a mountain people!
Yesterday
was probably one of the best sundays i have had as a missionary. We had
decided to fast because we needed a little extra help to get something
going with the ward (which i'll be honest fasting for me and combs is a
miracle in itself) but i know that the Lord is so aware of the
sacrifices we make for others around us. Even if it is skipping out on a
couple meals. When we got to church the Hansen family had brought their
neighbors who they found out were a part member family! During
Sacrament meeting a recent convert got up and shared his story of how he
and his family became interested in the church and how they had made
the decision to get baptized! It was so awesome and their family had
become interested all because of another family in the ward! I'm telling
you the big secret to missionary work is the members! but anyways it
was a really powerful talk and he gave us a couple shout outs which was
awesome. Then Sister Hancock prayed for me and Sister Combs over the
pulpit. WHOA. uhmm is this the Katy 2 ward?? Me and Combs had also been
asked to teach the Sunday School lesson because it was on member
missionary work. we had been planning on sharing Elder Ballard's talk
Put Your Trust In the Lord but due to technical difficulties we ended up
winging it! It honestly was my Alma and Amulek moment with Combs. ah
man. We just went for it and it was so cool to look out and not only see
the women crying but to see most of the men getting teary eyed as well.
When we started i made the statement that i hoped that the Holy Ghost
would be the teacher here and that he would be able to direct us all
individually and as a whole and i think that set it off on the right
note. We finished up with about 15 or so minutes left so the regular
teacher jumped at the opportunity and asked me and Combs 2 questions. 1:
What made us decide to serve a mission? and 2: What is one experience
from your mission that you will always keep with you? I can't even
really tell you everything i said, but it was from my heart. When i
answered the second question i wasn't really sure what to say i mean
heck, one experience?? i could go on ALL THE DAYS about what i'm gonna
keep with me. But i decided to open up to them, i shared with them that i
was wanting to go home when a specific member of their ward had us over
for dinner and even though we had gone into her house to teach her, she
had taught me. She had helped me in more ways than she will ever know. I
told them that while we are here to serve them and do all we can, at
times i feel like they influence and impact our lives more than they
realize. The spirit was soo strong in the room. As we were walking out i
had a couple people stop me and say that what i had shared really
touched them and that they hadn't felt the spirit like that in months.
You don't realize this but people want to try to be better around you,
you have this feeling you give off that makes us just want to be more.
WOO! I love being a missionary. Who even am i?? and who would have ever
thought that i would stand in a room in front of all these adults and be
able to inspire them?? It's all because of that great big man upstairs,
and i really can't wait for the day when i can give him a high 5 and
say oh my gosh, do you remember that one time when i was in Katy and me
and Sister Combs finally brought down the walls between us and the
ward?? It was one of the best experiences i have had.
I
really just want to be a force for good. I just so badly want people to
feel what i have in my heart and to know that they have so much to look
forward to. The key to the challenges facing us and to the success of
this work is the faith of those who call themselves Latter Day Saints. I
know that a huge barrier between our success was moved yesterday:] i
know that the members of the ward are starting to feel the love for
missionary work, and i'm very very grateful to be a part of it. I know
that this is His work, and while most the time i try to make it MY work,
i just keep falling on my face. Hey i'm a work in progress and have
been since my birth haha i love our Savior and i'm so grateful for the
patience and love that he has towards me.
Oh
ps. so this is a picture of my mailbox... and it's the weirdest thing! i
keep getting packages and letters from Arizona and yet... i haven't
gotten something from Utah in months...:] it's just SO weird...
I
love you all and hope that this week is a good one! you guys are number
one and i'm sure i'll be talking to you sooner then i realize! Ps
transfers are this week (already) but me and Combs are of course still
together:]
Love, Sister Bowden
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