Hope of Isreal

High 5!

1. We have a new investigator! She has been investigating in the neighboring area, Indian School, for about 2 years now, but she moved into some apartments by us so now we will be teaching her! Her name is Sue. She loves the Book of Mormon and loves the spirit she feels when missionaries are around, but does NOT want to be baptized. Her family comes from a long line of Catholics so we think it's a tradition issue. We read Mosiah 24 with her though and at the end of verse 15 it talks about the Lord's will. We asked her that if it was the Lord's will for her to be baptized, if she would ...and she said yes! It will take work but she will get there :) She is coming with us to the Easter Pageant this weekend.

2.  We have a new member of our ward! Her name is Julianna. She is a returning less-active and is going to start coming out with us!

3. We contacted an awesome referral this week. Her name is Diana and she has the cutest family! She has 2 young daughters, Maddie and Nevaeh. We hope to start teaching them soon! It's perfect because they live next door to a lot of members!

4. Sunday we had a miracle! Utahna and her whole family just showed up at church! Her husband is a less-active member but her kids are 9 and 10 and they haven't been baptized yet! We are focusing on getting them progressing towards it though!

5. Sunday evening we spent with a member family who recently had some hard things going on in their family :( We made German pancakes together and read from the scriptures. The spirit was strong and they were SO happy we came!

Down Low, 2 Slow.

1. Last night we were teaching the Gatchell family and their son showed up to pick up his kids and REALLY wanted to bible bash and argue with us...it was intense.

2. Transfers are Monday :(

Jacob 5:71-72 "And the Lord of the vineyard said unto them: Go to, and labor in the vineyard, with your might. For behold, this is the last time that I shall nourish my vineyard; for the end is nigh at hand, and the season speedily cometh; and if ye labor with your might with me ye shall have joy in the fruit which I shall lay up unto myself against the time which will soon come. And it came to pass that the servants did go and labor with their mights; and the Lord of the vineyard labored also with them; and they did obey the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard in all things." 

We are the Lord's servants in His vineyard today. We have the great privilege and responsibility to share our happiness with others! I know "the field is white and already to harvest". I hope that we will all step up to this calling from which we are never released.

Elder Holland said in a talk called "Feed My Sheep", "You've got to be the best missionaries this church has ever had. That's what you've got to be. We have a world in trouble and if we understand the scriptures, it's not over yet. These last days of greatness and grandeur in the church are not going to be a pretty picture for the world, and we're affected by it. But you're God's answer. You are the hope of Israel. I stand all amazed at what a missionary is in this church, and what God would somehow know and have the confidence to believe could be done with people like you and people like me. It's a marvelous work and a wonder." 

Diligence and obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ results in joy and we cannot keep that joy to ourselves. 

D&C 58:27-28 "Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward."

God speed!

Love, Sister Bowen