Belief Window

High 5!

1. Yesterday we got to go to the temple! It felt like I hadn't been in forever so it was much needed! The spirit is always so strong and all worries are put to rest there. Thanks for Opa, I was able to go through for a family name and my experience was sacred. Do everything you can to get there.

2. Sue came with us to the General Women's Broadcast and LOVED it. It was much needed for me too! I felt the spirit super strong and so many questions were answered. If you haven't listened to it yet, I strongly encourage it! It made me super excited for General Conference this weekend. Our zone has flyers and we are going crazy handing them out this week, inviting others to "come listen to a prophet's voice!"

3.We did FUN service this week. We got to prepare and serve food for our ward's youth conference! On Saturday morning, our zone met at the church at 5am and drove out to Bernalillo to help with a run that was going on. We got to hand out water and snacks, medal the winners, and meet a lot of cool people!

4. We went on exchanges this week and it was super fun to be with one of my former companions! Sister Ingold came to Western Hills with Sister Toomey and I and we had a ton of fun! It was cool to catch up and talk about all of our mission experiences since we were together!

5. This week,during the last few minutes of the day, we decided to text a man who was marked as "do not contact" on our ward list. We didn't know why, and he was a perspective elder and had non-member family so we didn't think there would be any harm in sending him a text. The next day we got a voicemail from him that was super friendly, so we called him back and he invited us over to meet him and his wife and to even have dinner with them! We already had a dinner appointment but we went over and found out how prepared BOTH of them are! Brother Claycomb started to read the Book of Mormon again, all on his own, and had so many good questions. Sister Claycomb is not a member but grew up in a very Christian home and agreed to take the lessons. We are having dinner and meeting with them again on Thursday! #NonStopMiracles

Down Low, 2 Slow.

1. We are teaching a TON but are having trouble getting our investigators progressing. 

2. We had so many early mornings and late nights this week so I am exhausted!

We had a special zone training this week and talked a lot about our identity. This is the formula we were given...

Identity⇒Values/Beliefs⇒Attitude/Behaviors⇒Actions⇒Reality

It was cool to plug in different investigators attitudes and behaviors and realize who they think they are. President Guffey shared a cool experience in his e-mail this week. "I served as a stake president for 10 years. I held many interviews during that time – temple recommends, missionaries going into the field, new bishops, etc. I began almost every interview with the question , “How is your relationship with Heavenly Father?” Why? I wanted to see if the person recognized who they really are. If we have only a casual recognition of our relationship with Heavenly Father, we are missing power in our lives. If we deeply understand that He is literally the Father of our Spirit, that we lived with Him, that He knows us better than anyone on earth ever will, then we have POWER! We can and will do anything He asks us to do [...]."

Some examples found in the scriptures of people who didn't just know, but understood who they were are found in 3 Nephi 1:12, Enos 1:4-5. and D&C 135:3. Check them out!

I also love thinking about Jesus Christ. In Luke 2:52 it says, "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man." In Jesus the Christ, Talmage comments, "Plainly this Son of the Highest was not endowed with a fullness of knowledge, nor with the complete investiture of wisdom, from the cradle. Slowly the assurance of His appointed mission as the Messiah [...] developed within His soul." This gives me hope and a peace, knowing that figuring out exactly who you are and making your decisions based on that, is a process and the quest of a life time!

Hyrum Smith gives an incredible, inspirational talk called Self Worth. He talks about this formula and different things we place on our personal "belief windows". Listen to it!

Have a great week and God speed!

Love, Sister Bowen

Live For It!!!

High 5!

1. There was a sister in our mission who got sick and went home early so they had to split up a companionship...anyways, now we are in a TRIO! Sister Toomey joined us on Friday morning and it's been a blast! We all feel like we are roommates in college-haha!

2. Helen and Andy are a new couple we are teaching this week and they are Navajo and we love them! They know the Book of Mormon is true, but are having a hard time leaving their Catholic roots. We will continue working with them but keep them in your prayers!

3. This week, one of our ward missionaries texted us and asked if we could teach her step daughter! It was a miracle! We went over that night and watched the Restoration film with her and she loved it! She is the sweetest 8 year old and wants to be baptized so badly! Now, she makes 2 that need prayers for parent permission...Kaylee and Callee! They both did SO well on their parts in the primary program :)

4. Another new investigator we found, who came really close to cancelling his appointment this week, is David. He loved our first lesson so much and came to church on Sunday. During the sacrament he leaned over to me and asked if he could participate in the sacrament one day. As if my heart wasn't full already, during the primary program while the sweet primary kids sang, "Baptism" about being as clean as the earth is after rain, he leaned over again and said, "I want to be baptized now." I couldn't stop the tears. I really thought my heart was going to burst!

5. I have never seen so many miracles so close together in all of my mission! On Sunday, a perspective elder, who we have never met, brought one of his friends to church! Somehow, they came to the right chapel at the right time. James is the perspective elder and Michael is our new investigator who is beyond prepared! He has recently overcame some addictions and is now working towards baptism. His answers in our first discussion yesterday blew us away! Later, after sharing this miracle with our zone, we found out that some elders got together and prayed specifically that we, sisters would witness a miracle on Sunday. The power of prayer is real and we are so grateful for the people the Lord is blessing us with to teach!

No down lows this week :)

In Mosiah 5:13 it says, "For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?" In missionary work, nothing we do counts unless we invite others to act. This is why we extend commitments to come to church, pray, and read the scriptures. 

We are the Lord's investigators and He extends commitments to us! How can we come to know Him if we don't live the commandments He has given us? When you faithfully keep commandments that you aren't sure are from God, you change your behavior. In return, Gad confirms to you that they are indeed true by blessing you, causing you to hunger after a closer relationship with Him. As you continue on this path of exercising faith, that change in behavior becomes your new nature. 

Elder Holland recounts an experience he once had. He once had a missionary approach him and ask him if he would give his life for the church. He responded with, "Elder, I am giving my life for the church." He knew what the young elder meant...Would you die for it?  "well", he said, "that's the easy part, and on some days it looks really appealing! But what God needs is people who will live for it."

Trust in His plan for you. He has put the commandments in place for a wise purpose and will never break His promises to open the windows of heaven to you. His invitation to you is, "prove me now herewith". 

God speed!

Love, Sister Bowen

A Chosen Vessel

High 5!

1. We had a HUGE miracle this week while trying by part member families. The family we went to see was not home so we decided to talk to their neighbors and found a woman named Sue. She let us in right away and we talked to her about our purpose and her religious background. We set a return appointment for the next day, and before returning, found her teaching record in our formers section. We read about how the missionaries in the past struggled to get her to church as well as helping her understand the purpose for another baptism. In our next lesson we talked about the Restoration and she accepted a baptism date for October 1 and came to church for all 3 hours on Sunday! My testimony of God's timing was strengthened.

2. The Rio Rancho stake put on a musical of the Parable of the 10 Virgins and OH MY GOODNESS it was incredible! I cried through the entire thing! The spirit was so strong and I learned so much! It was also great because we got to meet more members and lots of them brought non member friends :)

3. This month is "Fall into Service" for us so we got to go to a service fair this week and help. They had a bunch of different stations and it was super fun!

4. We are teaching a family who was recently reactivated and  who's youngest daughter is not baptized yet. Her name is Callee and she is 9. She is SO sweet and comes to church every week. This week is the primary program and she is so excited to have a part in that :) Pray for the dad to allow her to be baptized!

5. We found SO many potential investigators this week and have tons of return appointments this week! Pray that they all go through. This area has so much potential! 

Down Low, 2 Slow.

1. I was throwing up all day Thursday-no fun :(

2. We were cussed out by some formers this week...it was bad. 

This week I've been reading and studying the story of Saul, who later becomes Paul. So often, we hear people tell us that they haven't received answers to prayers, so we respond with, "What are you expecting?" Unfortunately, a lot of people are waiting for a lightening experience, or a huge answer to come down from heaven, when in reality, our answers usually come as simple, quiet assurances while we are reading from the Book of Mormon, sitting in sacrament meeting, or engaging in discussions with the missionaries. After Saul received his answer, he became a great apostle and "a chosen vessel" to the Lord. (Acts 9:15)  President Uchtdorf gave an incredible talk on this subject and there was a mormon message made to go along with it. I invite each of you to watch it and share it with someone else! 

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2012-01-003-waiting-on-our-road-to-damascus?lang=eng

Love you all! God speed!

Love, Sister Bowen  

Charity Triangles

High 5!

1. I've been transferred AGAIN! Sister Rackley and I are washing Western Hills Ward in Rio Rancho (aka Rio Zion). 

2. Raquel was baptized this week! 

3. The Hardin family will be baptized on October 1st. They ALL came to church on Sunday and we had some awesome lessons this past week. They were definitely my miracle while in 5th ward!

4. Dugis was a new investigator we found! We taught him right then and there and he was SO prepared! He went to high school with our ward mission leader's son and is a huge believe in Christ but felt like he needed more! So cool!

5. I got to see Sister Ropelato at the transfer site yesterday :) haha

Down Low, 2 Slow.

1. I had the hardest time leaving 5th ward SO soon :(

2. I had an annoying cold alllll week. 

This will be quick because it took forever to get new library cards and we have a lesson at 12. 

In Matthew 22: 36-39 we read about the first and second great commandments. "Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."  

As we seek to develop more charity, we have to grow and study all aspects of it, meaning, love for God, love for others, and love for ourselves. As humans, sometimes we forget to love ourselves and it is my prayer that we will each remember that God loves us because we are His son or daughter, period. Remember your divine nature and strive to use that knowledge to bless others lives; and when we do so, we show our love for God.

I would also invite you to consider faith, hope, and charity as a 3 legged stool. As you increase in one, you increase in the other. The opposite is true as well. Study Moroni 7 and 1 Corinthians 13 this week!
I love you all! God speed!

Love, Sister Bowen

NEW ADDRESS!

Sister Emilee Bowen

579 Star Villa Ct. SE

Rio Rancho, NM 87124