Week 53 - My First REAL Easter Experience

ALOOOHA:]

Well another week has come and gone and I just want everyone to know that I MISS YOU!  I have decided that holidays are just not the same when you are solo dolo, especially when you're dying Easter eggs by yourself!  Ah you know that's my favorite part of Easter! (well other than the whole resurrection part of it), but hey, it's all good.

I don't think that today I'm gonna take a really long time to write about all the miracles and ups and downs of this past week, but I do want to share something that has really led me to believe that Heavenly Father truly does have a plan set out for each of us.  At times we may even turn away or feel distant from our Heavenly Father but even then, He still does not give up on us.

So yesterday I woke up feeling like a champ and we got to the church by 7 for some meetings.  Before sacrament meeting started I was anxiously waiting to see which of our investigators were going to show up and which ones were once again going to miss out on some sweet blessings.  While I'm sitting there looking around when I look behind me and I see this guy that I instantly recognized.  Of course i'm sitting there thinking no, there's no way, I'm in Montgomery, Texas and I haven't seen him for like 4 years, nah he probably just looks a lot like him.  When the meeting finished Sister Bonner tells me go talk to those people, they are a part member family and we haven't seen them in awhile.  I take a breath and tell her I already know them and go walk over to re-introduce myself.  I walk up to the girl and say, "Hey, are you McCall Nelson?"  She looks a little confused and says yeah that's me.  I turn to the guy and say, "and your Rudy right?"  He says yeah and they are both just staring at me like I'm the most awkward girl in Texas.. So I say well I'm Sister Bowden and I went to Fremont High and I remember seeing you guys there!  Rudy looks at me for a little bit longer and says... "Is your first name Macall?"  Haha i smile and say Yeah! He then asks me, "you dated my friend Ducky right?"  Haha, I start laughing and said "Yeah, a little bit."  We start talking a little bit and I asked them if we could come stop by later this week.  They say sure sure and wa la, we have reconnected with one of our less active part member families!

But.. let me give you some background information.  Rudy is not a member of the church, but I have been aware of him since I was an 8th grader.  For one reason or another at school every time I saw him I would think, "You should talk to him" but did i ever?  No not really, I would when I was with Ducky but that was maybe once.  I can't even say though how many times at school I would see him and there was some weird connection that words don't explain.  When we got home from church I just burst into tears.  Even during high school when I was kinda taking some wrong paths Heavenly Father was still preparing me for when I would serve a mission.  I know that He places people in our paths for a reason.  It seems like He always knew what I would end up choosing and now He's placed me here in Montgomery, Texas, of all places, to help this guy that I should have helped so long ago!  I just truly believe that there is a purpose to everything.  I'm incredibly humbled and grateful to know just how mindful Heavenly Father is of each of us.  He works in incredible ways and I feel like I have been placed in Montgomery for a specific reason. Crazy!!

But, yes, while Easter is so great with bunnies and eggs and candy, this year I think I finally understood what this is all about.  Because He came our lives have meaning.  We will live again.  We can be forgiven.  We can find peace.  Because He came, we can start over as many times as we need.  We can be lifted from our trials.  We can see our loved ones again.  And Because He came, we can return back to our Heavenly Father.  It's been incredible having this opportunity to spend time in dedicating myself to the Savior.  It is through him that we can find happiness.  My life will never be the same:]

I love you all, I miss you all, and I can't wait to kiss you all.  Haha, Ew heck no!  Scratch that last one.  Have a great week y'all I'll be seeing ya before you know it:]

Love, Sister Bowden