Conference​, I must say that it was a good one.

Well, conference was probably just as good for you all as it was for me. I was watching as a missionary and was stoked that there is a big focus on missionary work. I can see that really things are going to start changing here shortly and that we are going to see the work of the Lord accelerate like a Ferrari on the freeway.

It was a little bit stressful this week running around talking to everyone and seeing if they could go, but there is nothing better than having it pay off in the end. We took this guy there and he was pretty impressed with what he saw. We are going to pass there today to talk a little bit more about conference and the prophet.

But, everything is going well here. I´m kind of stunned that I´ve been out a year...it seems like yesterday I was flying to São Paulo and trying to sleep on the flight that would never end. And here I am one year later...time passes too fast. But I´m glad that you are all doing well and that everyone is happy. I love and miss you all and hope that you have a great week. Know that I´m eating well and that I´m happy (I could use a little bit more sleep...but 8 hours is good hahaha).

Elder Bowman

Wow, that was totally inappropri​ate.

Well this week went okay. We had a bunch of people lined up to go to church, but the majority didn´t go. I got a little frustrated, and was a little bummed the rest of the day. But, I´m good now, ready to go to work. The thing that we should remember is that we are helping people change their lives, and change is never an easy thing. But we have the Lord on our side, and that is where we can find our strength. The other companionship in the ward baptized yesterday, and I was pumped for them. They are a great example to me of how to work. I´ve been trying to follow in their footsteps a little and I´m seeing the changes happen.

But yeah so I´m sure you are all wondering about the title of the email. So Elder Oliver and I were sitting outside of our house waiting for the other companionship to get home (We don´t have keys to our house....it´s complicated). But this lady walks up to us and asks us about the church...and to put it nicely she is a little crazy, but to put it truthfully she talks to herself in the street. We are talking she has conversations with no one. So anyway, I tell her she should go to church and she said no. She then goes to the other part of the road and asks if we can break the law of chastity...but she doesn´t say it exactly like that. I just sat there dumbfounded and Elder Oliver just starts laughing. I must say I must say I almost died of embarrassment, there were a lot of people in the street...but we told her we don´t roll like that so I think it is all cleared up now.

But, I was digging the pictures of you all, I showed them to the other Elders and they said that I have a crazy family...and I agree, my family is crazy good. This week is going to be a good one, I´m feeling it. I hope that you all enjoy conference weekend. Love you all more than Honey Bunches of Oats (and that is saying a lot if I do say so). I´m praying for you all.

Elder Bowman

What just happened?

Heya family,

I think that it has been a while since I sent an email, usually we just chat it up. This week was a bit on the tough side. In the beginning it seemed like everything was going right and I was super happy. Then on Saturday everything just fell apart and I felt like the kid in Kid History, What in the freak just happened! But, I've learned that when you are working with people, there are always going to be difficulties. But, you just keep working and the Lord will show the way. If it wasn't there time right then and there to accept it, who knows a little bit more down the road.

But we are teaching this girl named Vanessa, she is pretty cool. We taught her the first lesson yesterday and she accepted the invitation to be baptized. I was like will you pray to know if the Book of Mormon is true? And she was like Yeah, and I know that God will show me the answer.  I was just like, wow, amen. I hope that she continues to have the same firmness and desired to learn.

Sounds like the Eagle Scout project went pretty well, Chipper is all growns up making growns up decisions.(Psych). I was thinking about it the other day and I was like, man, I'm going to have a year on the mission in about two weeks...I must say I was little freaked out by that. The time has passed so fast. It won't be long till everybody is married and has kids, and then I'll be an old man. These were my feelings, you can see why I was a little freaked out. But time passes, and always will, the only thing that matters is what we do with it.

Hope that all is well at home and that you guys are as happy as a jar of peaches. Love you all to bunches and to pieces too,

Justin

We had baptisms this week.

Feeling Old Now....

Well, officialy Whitney is home, and is in my old stomping grounds of Provo. She´ll dig it just as I digged it. BYU is pretty rad if I do say so myself. But I´m glad that everyone is doing well, and I´m sure that everyone gave Whitney a hug or two for me, so I´m satisfied. Now Lefler is in the MTC too...I feel like mom and dad right now, ´´wow, wait wasn´t it like yesterday that I was....´´ It´s weird. The one year mark is coming up, and it is starting to wig me a out a little bit because I´m seeing that time in the field actually passes, and boy does it pass fast. I´m all good now, just had to get those weird feelings out of my system.

But this week went really well, we didn´t have a baptism, but we´re going to have it this week. The girl (Ana Clara) wasn´t feeling ready and we tried pressure her a little bit and she was like, ´´No, I don´t want to this sunday´´ So I was like, ´´Sweet, then next sunday.´´ and she was like, ´´Okay.´´ Yep so we are going to baptize her this sunday...maybe Saturday.

Hey, but I´m glad that you got to talk to Lefler one last time before he left for the field. And thanks for giving him a room for when he comes back, I´m glad that you all are watching out for him for me. He´ll own it in Ukraine.

But this week is looking good. I was pretty bummed when some of our baptisms fell, but then found a whole bunch of families who are awesome. I hope that all goes well this week with them.

But, keep your head above the water, and I´ll try to do the same thing. Keep me posted, Love you all!!!!!

Elder Bowman

President Costa Training

Well, It is a strange thing to have a P-day on a Tuesday. It is a first for me. But, yesterday we had a  conference with President Costa of the seventy. I must say that it was one of the best trainings that I have ever had in my life. He talked about how we need to plan with a vision, how we need to know that we have been called of God to do his work and that through us he will work his miracles. I´m feeling the fire and I´m digging it.

 It made me remember of the time, when I sent the email home saying how I learned that sometimes we forget just how important our purpose is. How real the fight against the devil and his hosts for the souls of men really is. I sometimes wake up and think, ´´oh just another day in the mission´´ but no, everyday in the mission is a day that you can find someone who is looking for gospel, looking for something more. And we need to be the ones who bring the truth to them because they are lost in the turbulence of the world, tossed to and fro on the ever changing morals that the world claims to be right.

I must say that this really changed me. I feel like for the first time I´m really understanding, if only a little, what it means to be a missionary. I hope that all is going well at home, you can know that all is going great here. I love you all. And I want you all to know, that for what may seem like the first time in my life, that I´m here on the Lord´s errand.

Pioneer Children Sang as They Walked....​and Walked....​and Walked....​and Walked

Well, this week went, like that. We spent a lot of time working on our tans in the golden sun of Brazil. But, that is okay because now everyone has to ask if I´m an American instead of just knowing it.

But, we´re trying to get the work going here, since they divided the area we only have about four solid investigators...hence the walking. But, it is all part of the game.

Funny story this week. So we were at lunch, and may I just say that it was a very tasty lunch at that, and we were all lunching and munching and stuff. So Elder Olivera my comp is finishing up his plat and the sister said the phrase that they always say ´´eat more Elder´´.He tried to say something, but just was like bubbaba bel ba bumba. I laughed my head off for the rest of lunch. Love you all and have a good week.

Elder Bowman