Ye Have Done It Unto Me

High 5!

1. We got the best media referrals this week! They are actually for the neighboring area but it has no missionaries so we get to teach them for now! Tina requested a Book of Mormon on Facebook and Regina and Daniel are a young couple who visited Salt Lake City recently and went on a tour at Temple Square. Both, so prepared!

2. Stake Conference for Los Lunas was this weekend! It was really good and my thoughts today will come from a couple of the talks :)

3. Bishop's daughter was baptized this weekend! We took and investigator and got to go! She is the cutest and it was a really spiritual baptism!

4. We were invited to a luncheon this weekend with a member and his non member family! They asked us a lot of questions and were softened by the time we left! It was cool! Nick, is the member and always comes out with us and he is going on a mission in 6 months! We are excited for him!

5. We got to go to a wedding reception of someone who used to be in the branch. Jennifer and Warren came with us and it was a good time :)

Down Low, 2 Slow!

1. Dennis finally got Sundays off! We were stoked, until we taught him the word of wisdom and the law of chastity...he isn't responding now. PLEASE pray for him. He knows this is true.

2. We were fed chicken gizzards this week. We have a good video but it's too big to send. 

The visiting General Authority gave an awesome talk at stake conference centered on the scripture in Matthew 25:40. "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

He told a story of how his wife loves bird watching. One afternoon, a cedar wax wing was in their yard and accidentally flew into one of their windows. The bird was injured, and of course, the wife was upset. She was on her way to run an errand so quickly made him a nest in hopes that with time, the bird would heal. After she left, the husband went downstairs and offered a simple prayer for the injured bird. He told Heavenly Father that he know He was busy but in behalf of his wife, asked him to heal the bird. He went upstairs just in time to watch the bird fly away, completely healed! Grateful, he went back downstairs to offer another prayer of thanks for the tender mercy. After closing his prayer, a voice came to him and said, "You are welcome, but would you have done the same had it been a sparrow?" 

He was taught a powerful yet simple lesson. Heavenly Father loves all of His children and asks us to ponder, who is the least among me? How can I reach out to them?

It is our duty to raise the clarion call of the gospel. It is the only place we can find lasting peace, happiness and fulfillment. If not you, then who? If not now, then when? Those who are lost are likely to remain lost until you step in.

We are all in need of the same Savior, Jesus Christ. I know He is there for us, and especially for the least of us.

I love you all! God speed!

Love, Sister Bowen

Stand Up & Stand Out!

High 5!

1. Father's Day! Sister Ropelato and I both got to speak in the Manzano branch about out dads and we had dinner with an awesome family who made us feel at home :)

2. We tracted into a new investigator this week! Her name is Marion. She actually took the lessons 30 years ago and says the only thing she didn't do was get baptized...hmm, well, now is the time! She is a teacher and super sweet so we are excited to get her progressing.

3. We had an awesome lesson with Wendy this week. We watched the Restoration Film and she really opened up to us! We are excited about getting her back on track for baptism and so is she!

4. Yvonne is an investigator who we have been trying to get to church for months and this week her and her granddaughter came! It was a miracle and she loved the spirit there.

5. Last night we got to have Family Home Evening with the Bishop in Valencia Ward and his family. Their oldest is getting baptized this Friday so we gave a lesson on baptism! We love them!

Down Low, 2 Slow.

1. We are COVERED in mosquito bites! Itchy!

2. It's definitely summer! HOTTTTT.

President Hinckley gave a talk back in 1993 that really touched us this week! He begins by sharing a story...

"I met a naval officer from a distant nation, a brilliant young man who had been brought to the United States for advanced training. Some of his associates in the United States Navy, whose behavior had attracted him, shared with him at his request their religious beliefs. He was not a Christian, but he was interested. They told him of the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem, who gave his life for all mankind. They told him of the appearance of God, the Eternal Father, and the resurrected Lord to the boy Joseph Smith. They spoke of modern prophets. They taught him the gospel of the Master. The Spirit touched his heart, and he was baptized. He was introduced to me just before he was to return to his native land. We spoke of these things, and then I said: “Your people are not Christians. What will happen when you return home a Christian, and, more particularly, a Mormon Christian?” His face clouded, and he replied, “My family will be disappointed. They may cast me out and regard me as dead. As for my future and my career, all opportunity may be foreclosed against me.” I asked, “Are you willing to pay so great a price for the gospel?” His dark eyes, moistened by tears, shone from his handsome brown face as he answered, “It’s true, isn’t it?” Ashamed at having asked the question, I responded, “Yes, it’s true.” To which he replied, “Then what else matters?”

These are questions I should like to leave with you: “It’s true, isn’t it? Then what else really matters?”

Sometimes it might seem hard to stand up for what you believe, but President Monson offers some wise counsel in a talk he gave a couple conferences ago. "It is often difficult to be different and to stand alone in a crowd. It is natural to fear what others might think or say. Comforting are the words of the psalm: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” As the world moves further and further away from the principles and guidelines given to us by a loving Heavenly Father, we will stand out from the crowd because we are different. We will stand out because we dress modestly. We will be different because we do not use profanity and because we do not partake of substances which are harmful to our bodies. We will be different because we avoid off-color humor and degrading remarks. We will be different as we decide not to fill our minds with media choices that are base and demeaning and that will remove the Spirit from our homes and our lives. We will certainly stand out as we make choices regarding morality—choices which adhere to gospel principles and standards. Those things which make us different from most of the world also provide us with that light and that spirit which will shine in an increasingly dark world. As we make Christ the center of our lives, our fears will be replaced by the courage of our convictions."

This all reminded me of a primary song :)

1. Dare to do right! Dare to be true!
You have a work that no other can do;
Do it so bravely, so kindly, so well,
Angels will hasten the story to tell.

Chorus. Dare, dare, dare to do right;
Dare, dare, dare to be true,
Dare to be true, dare to be true.

2. Dare to do right! Dare to be true!
Other men's failures can never save you.
Stand by your conscience, your honor, your faith;
Stand like a hero and battle till death.

Chorus. Dare, dare, dare to do right;
Dare, dare, dare to be true,
Dare to be true, dare to be true.

I love you all! God speed!

Love, Sister Bowen

A Father's Work

High 5!

1. WE ARE STAYING! We were super worried all week but had a party when we got transfer news Saturday night :) SO happy to be staying in Los Lunas with my besttt friend!

2. We officially started teaching Jasmine this week! She is the 9 year old grand daughter of the Jim's family. They all came to church this week :)

3. Speaking of church...SO many people showed up, including Wendy! Thank you for your prayers! We will be back to teaching her this week :)

4. Sunday night we had dinner with the Pearson family and Joseph and Steve came! They are struggling but we are super grateful for the ward family taking care of them.

5. We had a movie night with Jennifer and Warren's family this week and watched Meet the Mormons :) The spirit was really strong and they enjoyed it!

Down Low, 2 Slow.

1. We found and taught 2 awesome new investigators this week and then found out that they are out of our area...lucky elders!

(Only 1 this week)  

With Father's Day this weekend, I've been thinking a lot about how special and crucial the role of a father is. The world seems to demean the title of being a father, but we know the impactful difference they make. Elder D. Todd Christofferson, in this past general conference spoke of fathers. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.(John 15:13) Fathers manifest that love as they lay down their lives day by day, laboring in the service and support of their families." 

Heavenly Father has entrusted so many men to take on the role of earthly father to His precious spirit children. Elder L. Tom Perry said, "Please remember your sacred calling as a father in Israel-your most important calling in time and eternity-a calling from which you are never released."

Elder Christofferson says, "Perhaps the most essential of a father's work is to turn the hearts of his children to their Heavenly Father." I am eternally grateful for my dad, grandfathers, and uncles who have shown me the importance of fatherhood, and who have magnified their callings to be such. 

This is one of my favorite mormon messages and so appropriate for this weekend :) 

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2013-01-002-earthly-father-heavenly-father?lang=eng

I love you all! God speed!

Love, Sister Bowen

Wax Stronger

High 5!

1. New investigator in Manzano! Brianna Ruiz. She is 19 years old, she had a really hard past with not being loved by her parents, and after she graduated high school was kicked out and shipped here to live with her sister and their family. Her group of friends from high school recently joined the church in another state and had been telling her all about it when she began to pray for the Lord to send someone to help her. 1 week later, the elders knocked on her door, and now we are teaching her. She is golden! Pray for her.

2. Exchanges! We had a crazy busy week and amoungst it all did exchanges with Ladera. Sister Hatch came down to Los Lunas with me and we had a good time! I'm totally convinced that I have this calling because I need to learn from so many other sisters! 

3. MLC. President Miller's last MLC was this week and it was a spiritual feast! We learned a lot and in turn had a good Zone Training the next day. We trained on the Book of Mormon and Preach My Gospel being equally yoked, as well as our companionships.

4. We started teaching a less active family this week, the Jim's! He makes Native American jewelry and he let Sister Ropelato and I pick out something for him to make us! They have a non-member son and his 3 daughters living with them so we are excited to start teaching them :)

5. Joseph (recent-convert) takes care of his disabled nephew so it has been hard for him to come to church but this past week him and Steve BOTH came and Steve loved it! Our ward mission leader even invited them over for the BBQ we were going to at their house after church and we had fun with tons of ward members. Steve's heart has been softened a ton! He calls us the nuns-haha!

(Joseph made us this yummy heart shaped cake)

Down Low, 2 Slow.

1. It's week 6 :( Say no to transfers please.

(Because it's not very often that you get to be companions with your very best friend!)

2. Saturday I was SUPER sick. I was throwing up all day. Not fun. I got a blessing that night and in the blessing the Lord told me I would be healed the next morning, and sure enough I was! 

This week our mission experienced a miracle. About a month ago, all of us were informed about an Elder in the mission who had a 9 year old sister who was diagnosed with cancer. The cancer had entered her bones and in turn, she would need a bone marrow transplant. The only match in the family was her brother serving here. About 2 weeks ago, he went home to prepare for the transplant. All of us missionaries had been fasting and praying for little Liberty and the Hanson family. At MLC, President Miller stood with tear filled eyes and informed us that Sister Hanson had just called to give him an update. The doctors were running final tests before starting chemo treatments and were all scratching their heads because in every test they ran, they could not find a trace of cancer. We, however, are not scratching our heads.

This past Sunday, us along with many others joined in a special fast for Jennifer and Warren, so the obstacles holding them back from baptism would be removed. We look forward to the miracles to come! 

The power of God is real and is on the earth. We can access it through prayer, fasting, faith, and the priesthood. Helaman 3:35 "Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God."

God speed!

Love, Sister Bowen