Well hello hello my dear family:]
It's crazy to me to think how drastically my life can change all in a matter of days as a missionary. haha the only things that's constant is change.
Sooo... Transfers...
I was called to serve as a Sister Training Leader!! haha yay? Ok . . . No actually I asked president to NOT put me as an STL. I've been with Bonner for the past 3 months so trust me, i got a nice taste of what it's like. I was hoping that i'd just be able to die out easy... Haha looks like that's not the plan. He's gonna squeeze every last ounce of energy and commitment that I have!! When the assistants called Monday night to ask me if i'd be willing to do it my response was "Is president feeling well? or are we just getting that desperate?" Haha the assistants didn't really know how to respond but Ahhh!! There are soo many other sisters that i think should have been called! and I am completely content with not being in leadership, actually I would prefer to not be in leadership cuz then no one can have that high expectation of me! But, such is life right! I figured ok if he's calling me to be STL then he HAS to give me a super great companion! . . . .
I am now serving with Sister Suoamy Estafania Diaz Varela haha and if that isn't a mouthful I don't know what is! She is from Honduras (so yes she's learning english) and has been out on her mission for 7 months. She's got a bit of that latin fire in her and as I saw her name on the transfer paper next to mine I just thought... what is this world coming to? Haha we get back to our apartment to do personal study and she says Sister... I must tell you something (in a thick Honduran accent) I say alrighty what's up? She pulls out her white handbook starts waving it in the air and says I have heard plenty of you and I want you to know that we will be following this book for as long as we be companions. I literally felt my blood start boiling under my skin (so.. really good first impression:]) It took everything I had to just nod my head and say "You're right sister Diaz." Haha so you could definitely say that my stress level instantly went through the roof!! We went to a couple lessons and it. was. almost. disastrous. I'm not sure if it's just a Honduran thing . . . or maybe a language barrier.... but Sister Diaz is super blunt. kind of harshly blunt. During our lessons some of our investigators would look at me with this "what-is-this-girl-talking-about" sorta look and I wanted to cry!
I have come to the conclusion that I literally can't control anything. Not. one. thing. EXCEPT, my attitude which for a couple days was definitely not the best. Yesterday in church though a guy gave a really good analogy on trusting in the lord. When you grow cotton all summer long you water it and nourish it and then right in the dead heat of summer, you deprive the plant of water. Why? Because if it keeps getting watered it will just grow big and green, it won't produce the fruit that it's designed too so you take the water from it for a few weeks, then wa-la you have the perfect cotton plant and you can return to watering it. I think this applies to each one of our lives. We can be going along doing what's right being nurtured and growing and WHAM!! we get flippin blindsided and for a couple weeks are struggling to understand what in the world is going on!! But, I know that for us to fulfill our purposes on earth we have to be put in situations that don't always seem ideal.
I will keep trusting in the lord and try to understand what it is that Sister Diaz and I are supposed to accomplish together:] The week did get better as time went on and I know that the transfer will get better as time goes on. But yes, i miss Sister Bonner like you wouldn't believe! I know that a lot of this will come down to me and my attitude. What an incredible experience this will be to get to spend a couple months with a girl from Honduras, how neat is it to know that the gospel is the same throughout the world, and hey, I just might get a little bit better at my espanol:]
Things are just as busy as ever though, lots of investigators, lots of people to try and keep in contact with:] I absolutely love it and feel so blessed to be serving in an area like Montgomery. Heavenly Father has been so good to me and I just need to keep trusting in Him.
OH hey and can you even believe that I turn 22 in 2 days?! Haha "Oh no, my eggs are dying!" Crazy, crazy, I still feel the same. Make sure to light off some sparklers in memorial of the birth of one of the greatest girls to ever walk the earth:]
I love you all and miss ya like crazy!! I hope you have an awesome week! You are in my thoughts and prayers:]
Love, Sister Bowden
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