Final Mission Post!

Well. I'll be home tomorrow. So I s'pose this is my final mission post. Kinda crazy.

We had a good week. We invited T's daughter to be baptized on Dec 13th along with her mom. She seemed a little hesitant, and then said, "Could we do it sooner?" I think that's the only time we've said no--'cause we've got too much to teach before then!

Thanksgiving was wonderful. People in Columbus are brilliant. In addition to the turkey bowl, they also had a good soccer game going on. It was so nice to play again! After that, we went over to a member's house for feasting and games. Then we went home and watched "17 Miracles." We ended the night by playing Volleyball with the elders.

Well...I didn't bring my planner with me today, so I don't remember what else happened this week.

I was reflecting a little bit yesterday on the things I've learned on my mission. Here's some thoughts:

Prayer: If we are communicating--really communicating--with our Father in Heaven, including expressing gratitude, accounting to Him, and seeking His guidance, we will not go astray (as long as we act according to that guidance)

Scripture study: The word of God truly is the Iron Rod. As we wedge in the time to study the scriptures in our busy lives, it is reflective of our priorities, and helps us change accordingly. It improves our clarity, focus, and family life.

Church attendance: There is nothing greater we can do to decrease the disparity between what we know and what we do, than to take the sacrament sincerely every week.

These are things I knew to be true before my mission--but I know them much better now after seeing the differences they have made in the lives of others, as well as in my own life.

Throughout the Book of Mormon, the phrase, "inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments, ye shall prosper in the land" pops up all over the place. I learned that to be true, too. When I was doing my best to do what I was supposed to be doing, we had success and miracles. When I didn't do my best, we didn't have success or miracles. Obedience is real.

That is all for today. I am so grateful I came on a mission. My thoughts are probably best expressed throughout Alma 26:

"I do not boast in my own strength nor in my own widsom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God."

"I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things."

"I cannot say the smallest part which I feel. Who could have supposed that our God would have been so merciful"

"Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: God...and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success."

"And we have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul."

"God is mindful of every people"

Okay. That's it for real.

Much love,

Sister Bowen

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

Last Area!

Hello World!

I am now in Columbus, Indiana, serving in the 4th ward. And the ward is huge. I dunno if I'll be able to meet everybody in just 6 weeks O_o We are the first sisters ever to serve in the 4th ward, but that's not as big of a deal as it was in Lebanon, 'cause the ward was just formed at the beginning of this year. Columbus is just south of Franklin, so that's kinda cool, 'cause I've met some of the people here before. Bishop Shoaf served his mission in Nevada, and his last area was Minden/Gardnerville, so that's kinda exciting, too.

Yesterday we had the craziest day. First we went to church (at 8:00 am 'cause 4 wards meet in the building). Then after studies and lunch we headed out for the day. We stopped in on a part member couple. They were super nice--she was raised Amish, which was interesting. They aren't super interested in coming back to church but they love when the missionaries come by.

Then we went to drop off a Bible for somebody who'd requested one on Mormon.org. We taught most of the family about the Restoration right there. We'll be seeing them again later this week.

Then we met a lady that the previous elders had been teaching. They'd been teaching her for months, but told us she wasn't super interested 'cause she loves her church--but she agreed to go on a church tour this evening. We'll see where that goes.

Then we walked to the other end of the street where another investigator lives. We caught him outside skinning the squirrel he was about to have for dinner. He's going to cook up some squirrel for us when we come back tomorrow O_o

Aaaand then that evening, we stopped in on a family that the elders had been teaching. They had never met the father 'cause he was off being a sniper for the UN, or somethin'. We didn't really believe that was true. But when went by, they welcomed us in, and he was home too! She was raised in a Mormon community in Mexico, where she went to seminary and everything. And he was super cool. The way he looks and carries himself reminded us of Captain VonTrapp. We asked him about his occupation, and he said he works for the UN for personal security. One of his daughters was asking about what a spirit is, and talked a little about how when people die, there's like a kinda snapping noise when their spirits leave their bodies--something he's witnessed many times O_o The two daughters are very interested in learning more, and the parents seem pretty interested as well. We'll be taking them on a church tour this evening as well :)

The rest of the week was also adventurous, but in other ways.

Monday, we celebrated preparation day in Fishers, 'cause we had to take Sister Hansen there so she could go home. We got to play with like 30 missionaries instead of the usual 6. I got to see Sister Howard before she went home as well, so that was really nice.

Tuesday, we taught lessons with and I said good-bye to M and T. I got to say farewell to several others as well--one of the nice things about the day before transfers is that it's really easy to stay busy.

Wednesday was transfer meeting, where I said good-bye to a few a my missionary buddies that I won't see again on my mission, and met my new best friend, Sister Carpenter. She's purdy cool. She's from Rupert, Idaho, and went to BYU-I for a year before coming on her mission. This is her fourth transfer, and she is a hard worker, so that's fantastic.

On Friday, we had set up a member lesson, and were hoping to be able to find somebody to talk to right before it started. So we drove up, started wandering through the neighborhood a little, and then decided to knock on a door. A very friendly lady answered and knew who we were,  At first we thought she might be a member. But she wasn't--her daughter was good friends with a gal from the ward who is currently on a mission. She had given her friend a Book of Mormon, and the lady we were now talking to had leafed through it a bit. We asked if we could give her a little more context, and she happily agreed to let us teach the Restoration right there. She said she would definitely have to read it. Not sure if that will go anywhere right now, but it was an answer to prayers.

On Saturday we went out to Nashville, Indiana to help a member take out her carpets. 'Cause we are limited on miles, we decided to spend the day out there. Who knew that it was a very touristy time of year for Nashville (Brown County)? We sure didn't. But we do now.

So, we've had lots of adventures thus far. Coming here was a little overwhelming 'cause there are just so many members to meet, and we have a tricky area to work in. The concentrated part of Columbus is in the other wards, so our area is mostly comprised of high-end neighborhoods spread out through the country. Finding and budgeting miles are going to be more challenging than ever. I don't know how to do this. But Heavenly Father does, so I guess I just need to follow his guidance. It's been working so far.

I hope everybody has a fantastic week,

Sister Bowen

Pictures!

Missionaries I will probably never see again :'(

~Me with the sketchy Crawfordsville elders: Elders Park and Williams

~My farewell to Sister Howard. May she rest in peace

~My favorite elder, Elder Twitchell

A few more.

~Story behind this one: In Franklin, a lady in the ward that she loved the way I crinkled my nose--it would be something my husband would love about me. My companion and I thought that was funny, and I didn't know what she was talking about. I didn't think much about it 'til a few weeks ago, a lady from the Lebanon branch mentioned how my husband would love the way I crinkled my nose. I still didn't know what she was talking about. And then like two weeks ago, another lady from the branch mentioned that she liked the way I crinkled my nose. Sister Hivner took this shot while I was talking with somebody--I didn't even know she was taking it. But I figured this must be what the ladies were talking about. Scary.

~Sister Taylor, me, M, and Sister Mercer

A Humorous Rejection

Well team, for my last transfer I'm headed to a new area.

This week was quite the adventure. 

On Monday, we got to email and shop, but then it was back to work 'cause we were planning to go to the temple on Saturday (which takes the place of our preparation day. This is always hard 1) 'cause you're just uber tired without much of a break,and 2) because you miss playing with the other missionaries. We taught some good lessons, and then just before 5:00, we found out that we would not be able to go to the temple on Saturday anymore. That was really sad. But on the bright side, while we were visiting a member that afternoon, her apartment manager came by. She invited him on a church tour, and he seemed purdy interested. Hopefully that will go down sometime this week :)

On Tuesday we taught T about the Word of Wisdom. That's gonna be hard for her 'cause she smokes. But she said, "I really love smoking, and don't really want to stop, but I want this so bad that I will." Or something close to that :) That was purdy cool.

We were uber worn out, and a little discouraged by Wednesday. I just wanted to skip the whole day. Our one appointment we had set up canceled before we even started studies. I was praying and trying hard to be motivated to find people to teach...and after a while it worked! It was a long, cold, very wet day, but  I was able to head out with a good attitude to conquer the day. Sometimes these small miracles are the most miraculous.

On Saturday we were having a branch activity, so we spent Thursday evening inviting people. We stopped by a less active family. The obviously American man of the house, opened to door slightly, and said, "We don't speak English!" And then closed the door. It was one of the more humorous rejections I've ever experienced.

On Friday, we had our last district meeting of the transfer, which was an adventure. Our appointments for that day fell through as well, but one of the ladies (who we haven't started teaching yet) apologized that she really didn't have time that day, and gave us a plate of cookies. A sweet rejection (although, she does want to meet, she was legitimately busy that day). We also stumbled across a man who we had taught a couple times, but then lost track of. He apologized for not coming to church again, but didn't want to come under false pretenses. He then told me that I was very pretty and that he had "been wanting to get flirtatious," which was flattering, but true to my character I pushed it aside and continued on about how I thought he'd really enjoy King Benjamin's sermon. Thank goodness that kind of obtuse behavior is a skill on a mission ;)

Saturday we took a little time to clean our apartment, and went out for the day. We knocked on a door for a lady that had been referred to us by a neighbor several week previous. She opened the door, asked if we were there to pray with her, and invited us in. She was slightly crazy, but very pleasant. That night was the ward activity. M came with her husband S!! He had a fantastic time, and expressed interest to her later about coming to church with her sometime. They are coming to dinner with us at a member's house this evening. That is another miracle.

It was something of a slow week, but we were still made very aware of Heavenly Father's love for us.

I'm a little nervous for my last six weeks. It'll be hard to invest a lot of energy in an area that I know I won't be staying in for very long, especially as it's starting to get colder. It'll be a good adventure for sure, though.

Hope e'rybody has a fantastic week,

Much love,

Sister Bowen

More pictures!

Me, Sister Mercer, and Elder Foster

Sister Mercer and I in two of the huge coats left in our apartment.

The best shot of our district we managed to capture

Sister Hivner, Sister Mercer, me, Elder Cronin, Elder Williams, Elder Park, Elder Bullock, and Sister Hansen

Me and Sister Mercer

Me, Elder Lawrence, Sister Mercer