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