April 23, 2012 - New Sector!

I LOVE my new sector. I am really close to the ocean, like a 15 minute walk and I'm at the pier. Its just like Northern CA here. Lots of trees and the ocean, and a millions hills!!!! I'll take a pic to show you, but I've never seen such a maze of hills in my life. We usually don't walk up the hills, we take a bus because it would take half an hour and we would die before we got to the top! It is beautiful and the ward is so great. We live accross the street from our bishop so he and his family take good care of us. There are such amazing people all over the world, that is one thing I love about going to new place, is meeting all the wonderfully strong and faithful people out there!

So like I said last week I am in a new sector with a new amazing companion and am senior companion, which means all responsibility for our work falls on me. But I am so ready for this change and SO excited to be here. This week I grew a lot and was able to see the growth that has taken place over the last 9 months. I was able to set some goals and acheive them based on my own hard work and efforts and I can tell you that there is nothing more satisfying or better for your self esteem than setting goals, working hard, and accomplishing them!

One thing that I have been thinking about this week is all the of the problems that stem from selfishness and being too self-focused. Nothing breaks my heart more than misunderstandings because people are not willing to look past their own insecurities. Everyone is in need. Everyone is wounded and needs healing. At this point in my mission it almost brings me to tears to hear about family and friends who are estranged because of selfishness, being offended and an innability to forgive. There was a big graffitied sign in my old sector that said, Jesus is bigger than your problem. You can interpret that in many different ways but I like to think about it in the way that it doesn't matter what has happened or how hurt you have been, Jesus is more powerful, His teachings are more important, there are no excuses for not following His example. And if you have the audacity to think that your problem is an exception to the law  and doctrine that Jesus taught, He will forgive you and help you anyways once you come to yourself and repent and ask Him for help. There will always be bad things that happen and people who don't treat you right, but that isn't an excuse to not love and serve, forgive and repent like Jesus taught. None of us is exempt from the laws He taught, but that also means that none of us is exempt from the forgiveness and eternal life that He offers.

I am happier than I have been in a long time, because I'm finally understanding some things that I didn't understand before, but I am more full of sorrow than ever before because I am seeing more clearly than ever the fallen state we as humanity are in and how easy it is to rise above that through the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how many people don't take advantage of that because they are blinded by their own pride.

This Gospel is so simple and is the way to eternal life. Learn about it, follow it, live it, love it, and share it.

Love, Hermana Bowns