Can You Feel So Now?

High 5!

1. Exchanges! This week I got to go on exchanges with Hermana Carey! I went to her area this time so NO English but it was really fun!

2. John is our GOLDEN investigator! He is doing so good! He is on date for August 11th because he is moving back to Las Vegas on the 12th and really wants this ward to baptize him, haha. We are really excited for him!

3. Karen! We have been working with Karen for a while now and haven't been able to get through to her...until this week! We watched The Restoration film and everything clicked! My testimony of Joseph Smith was deepened. The spirit was really strong and we are hoping to get her on date this week.

4. Diana is on date for August 8th and she brought her sister to our lesson this week who said she wants to be baptized too!

5. We had interviews with President Miller yesterday :)

Down Low, 2 Slow.

1. We still haven't seen Jaime at all :(

2. We have NO miles left for this month so we are walking in this El Paso HEAT!

This week I learned that after gaining a testimony, we need to maintain it. I think a lot of us have had really spiritual experiences that give us a boost and a desire to be better, but over time we forget that drive and sink back into our normal routine where we are comfortable. Alma 5:26 says, "[...} If ye have experienced a change of heart, and have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?" It is my prayer and testimony that each of us will find that desire within us to spiritually stretch so we can grow to become more like our Savior, Jesus Christ.

I love you all and miss you dearly. Have a great week :)

God Speed!

Sister Bowen     

That's A God Thing...

High 5!

1. We knocked into a less active this week who cried when she saw us because she doesn't know where her records are and wants to go back to church. Her name is Terri. She invited us in and she kept us there for about an hour telling us so many of her miracle stories from her life. She would always end them with, "That's a God thing..."

2. We had a pass off lesson with the Canutillo Elders this week for a girl named Anna. She believes everything we've taught so far and has made really good friends with some of our members already. We are excited to continue teaching her.

3. John is SO solid. He comes to everything...church, FHE, he even came to help us clean the chapel on Saturday and then went to our ward party with us. He's getting moved from Ft. Bliss in about a month so we are working towards getting him baptized before he leaves.

4. We had a ward party on Saturday and it was so fun! Bishop Bonilla's wife is an excellent cook and it was great hanging out with everyone. The people in this ward are going to be my life-long friends.

5. Diana and Carolina came to church on Sunday!

Down Low, 2 Slow.

1. Jaime is currently mad at us because we had to push his baptism date back a week. We found some word of wisdom issues :(

2. Sergio was supposed to get baptized this past Saturday but told us he needs more time. He is struggling with some medical things right now so we continue to pray from him and his progression in the gospel.

Elder Bednar's talk "Bear Up Their Burdens With Ease" hit home for me this week. I definitely recommend it. Sometimes we think we can only be happy when nothing is going wrong in our lives. False. The burdens/ struggles in our lives help us rely on the merits, mercy, and grace of Jesus Christ. Those hardships drive us to our knees and give us the spiritual traction that we need to fulfill our purpose for being here- to become like our Savior. How do you think the pioneers did it? The relied on the Lord to lighten their load. Mosiah 24:13-15 doesn't tell us that our load will be taken away, but it does say that The Lord will strengthen us and give us the means to carry our personal loads. Never give up. Never throw in the towel. Be the follower of Christ who would have made it from Palmayra, New York to Salt Lake City, Utah.

I love you all and I can't thank you enough for your continuous support. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

Love, Hermana Bowen 

Onward and Upward!

High 5!

1. Diana and Carolina were pass offs from the Redd and Resler Elders. Her and her sister and dating LDS brothers and so we are teaching them the lessons. They are super solid and are on date to get baptized on August 8th!

2. On Saturday we were tracting 1 street for 2 hours because everyone wanted to talk to us! Miracles! We met a young, single mother and her 3 young kids outside and she said she had been looking for a church for her kids to grow up in! We told her about primary and she was super excited! The Elders are going back to teach them this week.

3. We got a phone call from a Utah number this week and it was a member who told us that his friend just got stationed at Ft. Bliss and was ready for the missionary lessons! We took a couple of our military members with us to meet and fellowship him and had an awesome lesson. He came to church on Sunday, committed to baptism, and we have another lesson with him tonight before FHE.

4. We got to do some service this week out in Socorro! We went with Natalie and Raven to their new house and helped them paint. It was super fun and afterwards we had an awesome lesson. Natalie's testimony is so strong and she is an amazing example to her daughter.

5. 7/11 meant FREE slurpees this week!

Down Low, 2 Slow

1. Our ward keeps getting smaller and smaller because everyone is getting married, haha!

2. We've had crazy hail storms this past week! 

Well, I'm keeping extremely busy. The Lord continues to give us prepared people. I stand all amazed. It gets to the point where when someone sees the Book of Mormon in our hands, they practically come up to us, ask us what it is, and ask if they can have one. I've really come to see the power it has in conversion. Elder Holland says it best. "No wicked man could write such a book, and no good man would unless it were true." Don't take it for granted. Apply the promise in Moroni 10:3-5 to strengthen and renew your testimony of the Book of Mormon. We are flooding the earth with it.

God speed!

Love, Hermana Bowen

P.S. I'm short on time today, so sorry for those of you I didn't get to personally respond to. Thank you for the continuous support. You all are always in my prayers. Have a great week! 

Arise from the dust!

High 5!

1. Jaime was given to us as a referral this week. He grew up LDS but never got baptized...!? We went out to Chaparral to meet him and he said, "Can we pick my baptism date now?" Yes we can! He came to church yesterday and the ward loves him! We are so happy for him and his desire to come back to Christ. In Jaime's words, "July 25th couldn't come fast enough!"

2. Norma and Tyler were another referral we got this week! A member from the Transmountain Ward invited us over to teach them in her home and they are SO excited to learn about the gospel.

3. Margie! We met her while we were knocking doors this week and she was SO kind to us and I learned a lot from her. She said, "I don't follow Christ because of the miracles, but because I follow Him, the miracles follow me."

4. We had lunch with our STL's as the "last supper" of the transfer, haha :)

Sister Williams and I!

(My first missionary friend in El Paso, haha :)

5. 4th of July just because it's my favorite holiday and I got SO many pictures of everyone's festivities! I saw like 5 fireworks from our balcony when we got home Saturday night too. Better than nothing ;)

Down Low, 2 Slow.

1. Sister McKendrick is leaving tomorrow!!! She got a transfer call :(

2. #1 counts as 2 :(

Sooooo, yup! President informed me that I would be taking over UTEP after only 6 weeks...! Ahhhhh! I'm nervous but know that with The Lord I can do it. Tomorrow I will meet my new companion! We've been updating maps and boards so I feel prepared other than my Spanish... Pray for me please!

Today I started a 40 Day fast in hopes to become a more consecrated missionary. I was reading in Matthew 4 about Jesus Christ's 40 Day fast and realized that it's not going to be easy and Satan is going to work on me... BUT at the end of that chapter, Jesus sees His disciples fishing and says, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men". I know that as I am diligent in obeying with exactness and removing anything from my life that is keeping me from putting my whole heart into this work, He will make me a "fisher of men". That's what I want and that's what the people in this ward and city need from me while I'm here.

I love being a missionary. One of my new favorite scriptures is Moroni 10:31-32 :) 

I love you all! God speed!

Love, Sister Bowen

 (Found Jay Mattox!)