June 25, 2012

Well it's another Monday! Today we had a zone activity, where all the missionaries in my zone got together to play soccor. Me and my comp are the only sisters so they split us up, one on each team. I pretty much just ran up and down the court, pretending to be ready just in case someone kicked me the ball, and because the elders are nice, they would kick me the ball, but i would never be able to stop it and actually do something useful with it. One of the elders told me I was the good luck on their team, because we were winning...but it wasn't because i was doing anything to help:) So we played for about an hour then me and my comp left to let them ''really'' play.

Starting this week me and my companion are going to bet really buff! Every day we have the goal to talk to 20 new people and invite them to listen to our message. To help us make sure we meet our goal we've decided that if we talk to less than 20 people we have to do push-ups for the people we didn't talk to. And it adds up everyday. For example if we talk to 15 people on Monday, and 15 people on Tuesday, and 15 people on Wednesday, Wednesday night we'll be doing 15 push-ups! Last night we had to do 35 push-ups before we could go to bed! So we are either going to be better at talking to people, or we are going to get really buff:)

And I learned a new Chilean phrase this week. In the US we say that every girl is waiting for her ''knight in shining armor''. Here they say that every girl is waiting for her ''blue prince''. I was confused at first...why would the prince be blue? Then one woman told me it's because in all the movies the prince who marries the princess always has a blue outfit/uniform on.

And remember the ward fast that we were doing here...well we are still doing it, and seeing MIRACLES! We have been working with a man and his family lately. The man is a member of the church but hasn't gone for something like 25 years. We invited him and his family to church. Last Sunday he and his youngest sone came and the ward gave him a huge warm welcome back! Then yesterday his wife and both of his sons came to church with him!!!!! It was a wonderful day. There is nothing better than a family brought together and held together by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is a saying that a family who prays together, stays together, but I would add that a family who prays together, reads the scriptures together, and goes to church together, stays together! I hope you are able to do these three things with your family, I have seen the great strength, protection, and unity it brings to families who do it.

Sending you my love!
Hermana Bowns
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June 11, 2012 - Blue House Day

Well here we are, almost halfway into June! I just can't believe how fast time flies. Me and my companion are having a great time together. It is the first time in the mission that we have only lived with just one other sister, usually I have lived with three other sisters. We listen to Christmas music everyday because with all the winter weather it feels like Christmas is just around the corner...we have to keep reminding ourselves that the 4th of July comes first!:) We work really well together, which I think could be a result of the fact that we were already companions for 9 weeks in the MTC, and so we already know how the other works and the srengths of the other. My companion is a spiritual powerhouse, she knows how to bring the spirit into a lesson amazingly. She struggles with spanish, but it doesn't matter, people feel the spirit even if her words don't come out right.

My companion is also the pickiest eater EVER! But the mission is the greatest place to get over that. She is doing great at eating things she doesn't like and I as well have overcome come of my food pickyness (mom you would be so proud). I eat mayonaise (I hate mayonaise), but here they put it on everything - hot dogs, cauliflower, corn, potatoes, salads, etc. I still won't use mayonaise if I don't have to, but if it is on my plate, I eat it...and it's not that bad! I also eat tuna and egg salad! Another huge accomplishment. They put tuna in a lot of salads here, or they'll put a tuna or chicken salad in the little hole in half an avacado...and its actually really delicious. Just to think that I used to be the pickiest eater as a child (my mother and sisters are my witnesses), and that now I am the missionary in my companionship who will eat anything!

After a hard last couple months, we are finally seeing some fruits of our faith and patience. We just started teaching an older gentleman, who is so great! We invited him to start reading the Book of Mormon and left him a chapter about baptism to read. When we came back he started telling US about where the Book of Mormon came from and already knew who the Nephites and Lamanites were! I was dumbstruck, he must have done some extra reading;). He reads a chapter everyday now and every time we go to teach him, I feel humbled and astonished at how well he understands what we teach and his willingness to make small changes to live more fully the commandments.

Blue House Day

And we are seeing such miracles because of the ward fast that we are doing. Since the first day that the ward started fasting for missionary work, we have seen a huge change in our work. The first day my companion had a huge prompting that we needed to work in a certain part of our sector. She said there is someone there waiting for us, and they live in a blue house. So we set out for that part of our sector, we knocked on all the doors in that area, especially the blue ones:) And miraculously the blue house let us in to teach them! And a house with blue walls let us in and it turned out to be a woman who knew she needed to go back to church, but didn't know how to overcome the guilt she felt for not going for so long. We are still working with her and the other blue house! The fact that two houses on the same street both invited us in to share with them within the same half an hour is a miracle! We call it the Blue House Day:) And everyday since then has brought its own great or small miracles.

My testimony of the power of fasting has hugely increased after seeing such amazing blessings come from the faith and sacrifice of our ward members. If you have never fasted, or haven't fasted for a while, or have never felt like your fast really meant anything, I encourage you to put fasting to the test. Fast with a specific purpose or need in mind, pray and fast with faith that the Lord will help you with what you need, do your part to bring about your righteous desire or need, and see the hand of God guide and bless you!

Happy Father's Day  to all the fathers reading this, since I won't be able to write again until after Father's Day!

Much love, Hermana Bowns
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May 21, 2012

Hello hello!

Cultural Tidbits

Ok, first of all I have to tell you about the buses here in my sector. So there are a million hills and curves, and when we take the bus into Concepcion on our preparation day  it is like a 30 minutes ride, and I have never been on such a crazy ride in my life. Its like a roller coaster. If you don't watch yourself you could fly out of your seat. And for the past two weeks I almost threw up on the bus ride. It is THAT intense. Its the combination of hills, curves, and rough manual changes (all the cars are manual here) that makes for a crazy ride.

Another funny thing that I have noticed this week is how vague the people here are sometimes. Maybe its because we are missionaries and sometimes people don't want to tell us the truth, or because I don't understand Spanish 100%, but I get really confused when people are telling me about their schedule or giving me directions.

In directions its usually, "around the corner, on this side [with a hand motion...what side? they don't use north or south here], in front of the police station, on the hill, above Maria's house," etc. If I didn't have a native Spanish speaking companion, I would be lost.

And with schedules it's worse. One day we were talking to a woman about a job for an investigator. The woman didn't live there and told us to come by when the owner of the house was home. She told us to come by after 6pm. Then she told us to wait till the end of the month. Then she told us it would be better to talk to the neighbor. Then said it would be better to come by after 8pm. In the end she told us it would be better to wait and not talk to anyone about the job yet....what? I was confused. And that happens all the time. People say "I'm never home, well i get home at 5p, but I go to my grandma's house and don't get back till 11p, but my mom comes home at 8p and i have to eat dinner with her..." I get lost in the details :) Who comes when at what time and where? I think its mainly my lack of understanding Spanish, but it makes me laugh sometimes.

Faith, Fear, and Doubt

This week is the last week of the transfer. Next Monday we will see if I get a new companion or not. I don't think I will. I love my current companion, and I think we will be together for one more transfer before she goes to a new place.

We have been having a trial here in our sector finding people who are willing and ready to accept our message of the restored Gospel. It has been a trial of our faith and patience, and we are learning how to be diligent and faithful. The quote and motto of this next transfer is,

"If God had commanded me to do all things I could do them."
1 Nephi 17:50

I am learning a lot about what it really means to have faith. I still don't fully understand, but it has to do with being positive and full of hope, and acting to bring to pass the things you've been commanded. It has to do with not doubting or fearing...at all. Fear and doubt will destroy faith because where they are faith cannot be. So this next transfer that is the goal. Get rid of all doubt and fear and walk in faith believing that all things that the Lord commands me, I can do!

I hope you too can learn to eliminate doubt and fear from your life and walk with 100% faith in Jesus Christ, in His Gospel and His promises.

Love, Hermana Bowns