I've taken 2 course of Wilton's cake decorating class. This is my final cake, we make different flowers for three weeks. On the last night we learned how to make the basket and put it all together. If you every thought about taking any of the classes at Micheal's there are so much fun. There are two more cake decorating course I want to take.
Hi Everyone,
Well, it has been a really nice week this week. We have had some great lessons, some baptismal dates and interviews with the mission president.
We had great interviews with the mission president and I feel that him and I had a really good talk about my companion and that even though he really doesn't care to be a missionary anymore, that I should just keep helping him trudge along until the very end. He felt that I have been doing a very good job at becoming a missionary and friend to most of my companions. I feel pretty good about that.
Well, unfortunately my companion continues to get more and more trunky as each day goes by and well, that's life but I love the guy anyway.
We have Marcalina and Isaiah on date to be baptized on the 21st of February! We are really excited for them making such a great step in their lives and feel that they are trying their best to come close to God and are really understanding the importance of the gospel. Although Isaiah will be a child of record baptism we are still teaching him so that he is not behind the other kids in his knowledge of the gospel.
I've been thinking so much lately about well, a myriad of things that would affect things in my life if I didn't learn that I could lean on the Lord for help with things. I know for a plain and simple fact that I wouldn't be on a mission right now if I didn't feel that I could lean on the Lord. I just continue to reflect on my life when I have moments to think and ponder. I actually get that much because my companion and I really don't talk to much because we don't have much to talk about. It's not a bad thing it is just we don't. We get along well and just live life as if we were friends that just happen to be working together.
Honestly I cannot tell you all the things that I've been pondering lately because they are personal and not everyone needs to know about them, not to say I don't trust you all but, they are personal things that I want to fully understand before I let others know.
I love the Lord so very much and I hope that all who read my letters can feel my love for the Lord. I hope that things continue to do well despite minor setbacks. I LOVE YOU ALL, and remember John 14:27.
LOVE YOUR MISSIONARY,
ELDER BRIAN BOWLER
Hey everyone,
This week has been quite the roller coaster week for me. With Gina actually coming back and trying to go full force, my companion getting closer to home and increasing with his complaints and learning much in my personal studies, I think that life just continues to take it's wonderful coarse.
Yes you heard me correctly when I said Gina is back! Last Tuesday we gave her a call and I talked to her for a while about things and surprisingly many good things happened to her that day. Basically everything she needed was given to her. She also said that she didn't mean that she was never going to come back to church but that she let her anger get the best of her. She also asked me to forgive her for what she had said and that she knew that I and my companion were praying for her. I forgave her and told her that we lash out irrationally sometimes when we get overwhelmed with the things that stress us.
We have begun to teach her two children, Isaiah and Marcelina the lessons in an attempt to help Elder Jackson go out with a baptism, or two!
Speaking of my companion, My heart yearns for his soul because he has completely given up on being a missionary. He is always talking down the area, complaining about something President Belnap has said or doesn't really care to do the things of the Lord that would help him find peace in his last three weeks. I pray every night to know how I can help him see the light in Boardman and I always get the same answer, just keep doing what you're doing. So I do and I try to get him to talk positively about the area, or the members or whatever gets him to think positively.
SO we've helped people do some real amazing things this week. We helped the Cunninghams, active members, seal the cracks in their floors so they could put the flooring down. That was fun and we helped them so much because neither of them can get down on their knees to do that. Then we helped the Mullers, less-active members, move some steel that they had in the way of building a lean-to on their shed. Bro. Muller would have done it if he could have but he is not supposed to lift anything more than 3 lbs. because of back problems and heart problems that tire him easily. We enjoyed that and we got to spread the love of Christ around to those who don't always get that given to them.
I've had time to think this week about many things that I have been reading about and I've felt the promptings of the Holy Ghost more in my everyday living. I felt that I'd truly listen for the Whisperings of the Spirit and I think that he talks way more than most of us are willing to listen. As I've listened and I've pondered the things of God in my heart and in my mind, the Spirit really just helps me to understand and sometimes tells me to think about it a little farther. For instance, this morning during my personal study I was reading in 2 Nephi Chapter 9 and I came across a very interesting scripture chase about the "robe of righteousness". It took me on a journey of great discovery as I ran from the Book of Mormon to Doctrine and Covenants over to the Old and New Testaments. In fact, it lead me right into Revelations Chapter 7. If you start in verse 14 of 2 Nephi 9 and follow the footnotes it should lead you to D&C 109:76. Then onto Leviticus 8:7 and to the Topical Guide under 'Righteousness'. Then onto Hebrews 12:11 (look in footnotes) and James 3:18. Then to Revelations 19:8 onto Matthew 22:11-14, 1 Nephi 12:10-11 and Alma 5:27.Then to Revelations 7:13-14, Alma 13:11-13, D&C 88:85 and onto 3 Nephi 27:19. I however, have not finished my journey and I will continue soon afterward and after I am done I will compile all this knowledge into something easy to understand and have you see where I had gone with all those scriptures.
This is only one of my great adventures that I have gone on with the scriptures and I will continue to go through until that great day when all shall be revealed unto us and we shall understand the things of God! The Lord loves us all very much and yearns for our return into his glorious presence.
Mom and Dad have a great Anniversary at Disneyland and enjoy the time you have together, with no children.
As I conclude my letter I would like to express my great appreciation for every one of you who faithfully read these letters and thrive on the words that I write. It means the world to me to know that I am so loved by so many. I would like to grant that the Lord always be with you and as hard times come into your life that you turn to Him in sincere prayer and express your concerns with him and counsel with him. He does listen and knows our needs. He wants us to communicate with him and show how much we care for him. I love you all so very much, In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Remember John 14:27 and that god will be with you till we meet again.
LOVE YOUR MISSIONARY,
ELDER BRIAN BOWLER
Well,
It sounds like you all have had a busy week and that life is truly working itself out. I'm glad all is going well and that the Lord has really shown you how much he really cares. And if I forgot to say it last time CONGRATULATIONS CORY AND SHAY!
I know that the Lord has truly blessed my life this week but it isn't to say that it was a good week. For the most part it was a great week but I've understood that not everything good comes from great weeks. I have done some real hard labor this week at the Poe family farm. We fell three trees and bucked them up so that the Poes could use it for fire wood. It was definitely wonderful top see how happy they were when we showed up to help and were so willing to do so. I have slept nicely since because I was just so tired after that labor of love.
We also had zone conference this week and had a really good training about keeping our goals conceivable, achievable and measurable. Our mission president really does love us and tries to do what he feels inspired to do. Sister Belnap gave an amazing training on what true joy is and how we can feel true joy, not just pleasure. And then there was Gina... who has decided to throw everything away because life is getting tough. You know the old saying, 'when the going gets tough, the tough get going' it is a real and true statement. Only the tough will press through their trials and keep their faith in the Lord. I understand that things are difficult for her because she has not fully let go of things that don't matter and that keep her wrapped in chains but we tried to help her see the blessings in continuing in the faith of the Lord. She used some choice words and blamed the Church for her problems and told me that she was NEVER going to church again. When I heard her say that my heart broke into a million pieces and I just felt the Spirit tell me not to say anything to her because she has hardened her heart to the Lord and we sat in silence for about a minute. I learned at that point that I commit to the Lord that I will NOT forsake him when the going gets tough and I felt the Spirit rush through me and tell me that I truly am the tough that get going. I don't want to sound like I am full of myself but that is what the Spirit said to me.
It was hard to see her do that but you know that won't get me down and it has given more of a resolve to press forward so I thank her for showing me what I don't want in life. I still will not give up on her though.
As for my companion, all he talks about is going home and how wonderful it will be and so on but I just tell him that I have plenty of time that I don't need to worry about it. I just show that the Lord is with me in all things and I know that he will carry me through this trial with flying colors as they say. The sisters in my zone think that he was sent to me so that I could humble him. I think that was funny because I've heard that said time and time again just not that straight forward. I love my companion and will continue to until the day he leaves.
I think that is all the news I have for this week but I love you all and remember John 14:27.
LOVE YOUR MISSIONARY,
ELDER BRIAN BOWLER
Hey everyone,
Well, it sounds like things are a hustlin and a bustlin around the house with such great events coming up. I am excited for Cory and Shay and the wedding and that everything is looking so up. it is one of the great and wonderful things that happen in life.
Elder Jackson is from Idaho Falls, Idaho. All was okay until day two and now all he does is complain about how "sucky" (I dislike that word, but he uses it) the area is and how he just wants to go home and so on. He is willing to work but he doesn't even care anymore. I try to keep him afloat with being upbeat and positive about the area and that we will find people to teach. We search everyday to find people to teach and we visit those who the ward has asked us to visit.
It is really hard when you have a really trunky companion who has made it his goal to make me trunky but I told him that will be a goal he will not achieve. He is a nice guy but he has just lost his direction of what he really needs to do at this point in time. I know that Chad knows how that is like and he can tell you how hard it is. I will continue to be steadfast and immovable in the faith and obedience to show him that there is still hope.
We have visited many new people this week and it is so awesome that there are so many wonderful people out in the world. The only problem is that they have lost their direction in life and we will continue to help them find their direction.
We have been working with Gina so much this week. On Saturday I had made her promise me that she was going to come to church on Sunday. When we went to wake her up she wasn't going to come and I told her that she had promised me and that I was going to help her keep that promise. Well her daughter Marcelina came to sacrament meeting and stayed for all three. Then we went to go get Gina again after and she had fallen back asleep and so we woke her up and I told her that she was going to come the way she is right now and she said, "Are you serious Bowler?" and told her I was because she had promised me and so she got up and was getting ready and said that she would meet us there and we brought Isaiah, her son, to primary the second hour. Well, then we went outside to see if her vehicle was there and behold it was there so we went to the RS room and she was sitting there. We went and talked to her and she was saying that before she came to church she was so mad at me because I got her up but then she realized that I was only doing because I cared about her that much. She then told me that she was so happy that I was so willing to continually come and get her up and not give up on her. She told me that means so much to her to know that I wouldn't want to give up on her. And to put the cherry on top of the day she went to a fireside at the stake center in Hermiston for people who struggle with depression. It was so awesome to see that she appreciates my persistence.
Transfers went well this week and I was so glad that president is such an inspired man. I know that he loves and cares about us because we try so hard to follow his direction that he gets from the Lord. I love that man and hope that the Lord continues to give him the strength to be the inspired mission president that he is.
Mom, could you specifically tell ALL my siblings that I love them and also tell DAD that. I love you too. I love everyone else as well and I hope that this is a productive week full of fun and joy for you and remember John 14:27.
LOVE YOUR MISSIONARY,
ELDER BRIAN BOWLER
We won a photo shoot, as a blog contest, with Rachel Clare, a talented photographer. Her work is really fun and she was super nice. anyway she put up a few pics of Rowdy on her blog.
and If you post a comment on there she will give us another free print. but just fyi the comment for Rowdy is right by the title of her blog post.
