Adventures and Miracles

It's been another week of adventures here in Columbus.

The adventures began shortly after I emailed last week. We went to wash our car. One of the ladies working there stopped to talk to us. She has some family members that are Mormon, and asked if she could meet with us to learn more. We'd never used that car wash before. Inspiration? Definitely.

Other adventures of the week include teaching N the 10 commandments. The lesson itself was not particularly exciting--like most folks, he's purdy familiar with the 10 commandments. The exciting part is that we talked while he was removing the skin from the deer he'd shot the night before. The deer was hanging from a tree by it's ankles. Also exciting is that N went his first full day without smoking :D

'Nother miracle was on Friday. There was a blood-drive at the church, so a  handful of the missionaries went over to donate. I was also planning to. They checked my left arm: "Did you remember to bring your veins today?" They checked my right arm. And then my left. And then settled for my right. My phlebotomist said, "I dunno about this, but I can try". I told the Sister Carpenter and Elder Broadhead to pray. And she got it right in--probably the most successful, pleasant experience I've ever had donating blood. Small miracles.

Another miracle: We were teaching T (who is getting baptized next month) about the Word of Wisdom. She's all good to go, 'cause it turns out she stopped smoking the day she met us, three weeks ago. Purdy crazy!

We also taught a lady named T. She doesn't really believe in God, but is looking for happiness in her life. She'd noticed that her religious friends seemed to be happier, so she wants to look into it. Two weeks ago we'd taught her about prayer. We checked back with her last night. She'd prayed once, but said it felt a little weird. "Usually I don't intentionally talk to myself" :) We invited her to say the prayer for the close of our lesson, and she did! It's a cool thing to help people begin to communicate with their Heavenly Father. 

Elder Dunnigan, an area seventy, came to our sacrament meeting yesterday--so that was kinda cool, too.

On Saturday, I got to go to the temple! There is a wonderful family in our ward that took me and Sister Shaw, who is serving in the North Vernon ward. Sister Roundy (my MTC companion) was also there, as well as a couple from the Clear Creek ward--so it was really good to see all of them :)

Pictures!

N's buck from last year--that's the contraption he was hanging his new dear from O_o

Our grossly awkward district picture

~Elders Halverson, Shirley, Ercek, Mathias, Sisters Shaw, Odermott, Carpenter, and me 

Bed Bugs are on Satan's Team

Well this week was not as adventurous as in weeks past, but we did have some good moments.

We got to share the message of the restoration with a wonderful man named R.. He is a friend of one of the ladies in the ward, and she invited us to come teach him. You can tell by the way he lives and the way he works (he is a therapist) that he is close to the Savior, and committed to following Him. He was very excited about what we shared. Our message went along with things that he's thought for years. He said that he will read the Book of Mormon, and he will pray about it...and we are confident that will come around. After all, everybody who reads it and prays about it with real intent does.

We also had interviews with President Cleveland. He told me, "Sister Bowen, I have a new word to describe you. I got it from your mom: sassy." So mom, I'm sorry if you felt the need to apologize for my behavior. I'll try to be better O_o.

There's a sweet older lady we've started to work with a bit--her name is B. We came by to see her at the scheduled time, but she couldn't let us in 'cause she has bed bugs :( and she was super sad 'cause she was super excited to meet with us--but we'll be back in a few weeks. I'm convinced bed bugs are on Satan's team. Jerks. But no unhallowed hand nor bug can stop the work from progressing. I just shared this instance 'cause it's kinda how the week went--although there weren't any more bedbugs...as far as we know.

We had zone training. It is tradition at the end of zone training for all the departing missionaries to share their testimony. That was kinda weird, 'cause I don't feel like I'm leaving soon. But I've only got a few more days than my companion has months left O_o

The lady who came to church last week with her kids is now preparing for baptism in the middle of December--so that's purdy exciting as well :D

Also we had stake conference this weekend. The messages shared were fantastic. I also go to see a handful of people from Franklin, which was cool. The Saturday evening session about "Hastening the work of salvation" was geared toward family history. The mission is having us (missionaries) work on family history for two hours a week so that we can be ready to be useful so we will that be comfortable with the family history websites when the mission gets iPads in January. 

That's all I've got for this week. I hope everybody is doing fantastically.

Much love,

Sister Bowen

Pictures :D

~Elder Mathias really liked my horrible sweatshirt (an old lady in Bloomington gave it to me. She said it was "beautiful")

~Some of my mission "posterity" Sister Castillo (my great-granddaughter) and Sister Goodstein (my granddaughter)

Mostly

Hello team.

It's been a good week here in Columbus. We got to meet with a lady named R, who we met our first week here. She from India, which turns out, is a little different than Indiana. She was raised Hindi, but is "open to new ideas." We compared our idea about God. She really liked the idea of a loving Heavenly Father. We showed her the Mormon Message "Heavenly Father, Earthly Father" and she said she was going to share it with her husband 'cause he'd really like it. We're excited to see where that goes.

We stopped by the home of a man the elders had been teaching, and met his wife, T, who they had said was not at all interested. We talked to her for a little while. She expressed that she had not really been raised in church, and didn't really know whether or not God was real. She had three little kids, and is extremely frustrated with her husband--we could tell she was frustrated with her life. We talked about how our life is what it is--we are not free to choose consequences to our choices or even the choices of others. Our message--Heavenly Father's message--teaches us how to find happiness with the way life is, and how to make decisions that are going to make us happy. She agreed to meet again. When we went back we talked about God and about prayer. We asked if she'd ever prayed before. She said, "Well, I sorta said amen at the end of the prayer you just said." But she is going to try praying this week. That was purdy cool.

We also taught a lady named T. We taught her the whole Plan of Salvation. And she came to church yesterday (which was particularly impressive, 'cause she lives about 1/2 hour away, it's at 8 am, and she had her three kids with her.) She (and her kids) really enjoyed it.

A slightly crazy man that we've been working with, who was told in a vision that he should be Mormon came to church as well.

We also had exchanges in Franklin this past week. That was exciting 'cause I got to see a handful of people from before :) I went with Sister Goodstein, who is my "grand-daughter" who was also "born" in Clear Creek. She is quite literally following in my footsteps O_o

This is an excerpt from my letter to President Cleveland which summarizes some of what I've been thinking about lately:

"I feel like this phase of my mission must be something like what it feels like to be near the end of one's life. For one--my "mission mortality" seems so much more real than ever before. Second, nobody cares much about my personal progression anymore: nobody cares if I become a better teacher, leader, or whatever else. Third, I feel like I have a significant pool of experience and knowledge that I've gained through my experience and study that could be of great benefit to those around me and similarly--nobody cares. Fourth, I'm grumpy, prideful, unwilling to learn from those with less "experience" and unchangeable in my ways. Just joking about that last one. Mostly. 

But it has given me a new perspective on what it really means to endure to the end. Because--for perhaps the first time in my life--nobody cares if I continue to learn and develop, I have to take greater responsibility for that part of my life. The only way I can find success in the last few weeks of my mission is if I continue coming unto Christ; or simply repent, change, and do better, He will show me what I can work on and allow me to be better. I'll have to remember this in a few decades."

And some good news from Lebanon: M--who has not been baptized yet because her husband had not wanted her to be--is getting baptized on the 29th and her husband "wouldn't miss it for the world."

I hope e'rybody has a most excellent week

Sister Bowen

Heavenly Father's Favorite Missionaries!

This area is indeed a challenge, but we're Heavenly Father's favorite missionaries, so that makes things easier ;)

The guy who was going to make squirrel for us (N) is now preparing to be baptized at the end of the month. He had a great time at church yesterday, and seems to just love everything he's been learning.

I don't have a lot to say about this past week--things just seemed to line up well. People kept their appointments for the most part, and we were able to meet most of the people the elders had been teaching. Things are looking good.

Just about everybody we meet out here is exceptionally nice. Even if they aren't particularly interested they will wish us luck and be very polite. What a great bonus that is!

The ward here is purdy great--it's just so big, that I'll probably never even meet everybody O_o

I apologize that this probably isn't the most interesting email ever, but that's okay 'cause e'rybody probably has better things to do than read this anyway ;)

A final thought: I've been thinking about how people don't use prayer as a source of revelation often enough. Sometimes people will encounter a principle, commandment, or fact that they don't agree with. Instead of asking God about it, they just run the other way. What a sad thing--to limit God to our personal understanding. 

I was thinking about how Lehi had the vision with the tree of life (1 Nephi 8), and Nephi didn't really get it. So he asked to understand it, and it was explained to him (1 Nephi 11.) Later, his brothers are having a dispute about what it could mean, and tell Nephi that they received no such clarification. He responds simply: "Have ye inquired of the Lord?" (1 Nephi 15:8) 

This is something I feel like I've gotten to experience. The first half of my mission I didn't really understand (or really like) the way we have been taught to do missionary work (in regards to key indicators and reporting numbers 'n stuff.) Several months ago, I began to pray to understand the vision--and that clarity was granted! 

Moral of the story: Ask God for clarification. James 1:5. Nephi did, and it helped us understand one of the most important principles to guide us in our lives. Joseph Smith did, and it changed the world. I did, and it significantly improved my mission. Knowledge is power, and is something God will help us attain, especially if we ask.

I hope everybody has a fantastic week.

Love,

Sister Bowen