Dancers In The Street

Well this week was a little crazy, we had like this big festival thing going on so there were a lot of people in the streets dancing and drinking...it was pretty awesome to watch drunk people dance because they don't dance very well.

But, I feel like I've matured a little bit, seeing as now I have twenty years of age. It's a little weird how fast time flies, and how much I sound like an old person saying that. But, it's true, on minute your sitting on your couch watching cartoons and the next minute you walking down the streets as a missionary.

This week I had a little run in with a bull. We were walking down the street, and he decided that he wanted to have a little stand off. So I was standing in the middle of the street, and he was staring me down. I was thinking "Oh Flip, this crapper is going to run me down,"  but then I think that he saw Jesus Crist on my name badge and was like "You can pass." My heart was beating like a million mile per hour after that, but I escaped with my life and my honor.

Hope all is well in Logan and that you are all enjoying the sunshine. Have a good week this week and keep being awesome

Love Elder Bowman

You Get Poridge

This week we had a baptism. His name is Ryan and I will send you all some pics, But, also the work is starting to progress a little more. We had a meeting with the ward council and asked for their help. They seemed a little apprehensive, but willing to go to town, so I think that we will go to town and baptize some people there, and help the ward grow.

But we are teaching this lady named Francisca and she is just a sweet lady. Yesterday we taught here the first lesson and she was accepting everything. So we invited her to be baptized and she accepted! I was pretty stoked, and then we were wrapping up and she asked me to give the closing prayer. I gave it, and when we said amen, she was crying. She talked about how she really needed to here the gospel and said that she has been really struggling. Man, I was thinking about it this week and I think that sometimes we forget that this gospel can change the whole outlook of people's lives. It gives direction, guidance, and hope to those who are searching for something more. Sometimes as missionaries we get into the routine of  spreading the gospel, we begin to think that our message is ordinary. I got a little reminder this week that the gospel is far from something that is ordinary. It is something that will change our lives and the lives of God's children. But it was an awesome missionary moment for me.

But I hope that all of you have a great week, I'm going to email on Monday, so I that will be normal. I'll be twenty, which is a little on the weird side..wow.

Love you all

Elder Bowman

1"You get poridge! and he's happy to see you"

2 Don't leave the window open during a rain storm...

.Ryan before he got baptized

Let´s Get Ready to RUMBLEEEEE​!!!!!

Wow this week was pretty awesome. There is like some crazy kind of energy that comes when everyone gets excited about sharing the gospel. I don´t know what is going on down here, but I must say, I´m digging it.

But this week, we took this guy named Patrick to church. He is from Switzerland and has lived in Brazil for seven years. We´re going to swing by and talk to him soon, and see if he has any questions about anything that was taught. He´s pretty much a stud, and speaks Portuguese like a Brazilian.

But funny story this week: So with our new goal of talking to everyone we can, I went over and was talking with some drunk guy on the corner of the street one day. He wasn´t terribly drunk so I went ahead and started talking to him about the gospel. In the middle of the discusion he said. Open to Mathew 15:16. So, I did, and basically it said, how is it that you aren´t understanding still. I almost busted up laughing because it was so ironinc that he randomly decided to open to that scripture. Irony or it was God trying to talk with him. I think that I´ll go with the latter. But we invited him to go to church and....he didn´t show up. But, who knows, one day maybe he will.

Sounds like everything is going well at home. The shack is crazy as usual and you all are being my awesome family. Keep it up. Love you all and hope that you enjoy a shavice for me.


Elder Bowman

You Get What You Ask For, Just Not Always in the Way You Expected

Yeah, so this week I was really tired, and I was like I just want to sleep. Well I got to sleep a lot because I got flippin' blasted to the core with sickness. I think that I got the worst case of Diarrhea that I have ever experienced this side of the Mississippi. We are talking that I basically wasting good food because I was eating it and it was passing right into the toilet basically.

But Saturday, was the worst day. We went to lunch to eat, or rather for Elder Wanderson to eat. So we get there and the Sister made this really nice lunch for us with chicken, salad, rice and beans, the works. I, being sick as a hippo, just drank a little passion fruit juice, and then it all began. I started to get really sick, so I put my head down, then the sister came out and started talking to me about how I was feeling and stuff and I just told her "muito mau" which is terrible. She keeps talking about going to the hospital, and I was just sitting and all of the sudden I was like, "Irma Eu vou vomitar," and I did. I puked up my nice passion fruit juice. But after that we called Sister Hall, she told me to buy meds, and then I slept the rest of the day. So I got to sleep, but man I had to go through heck to get there. I don't think that I'm going to ask for more time to sleep next time, P-day is good enough for me.

However, today, I'm good. We're going to go to the chapel to play some ping-pong and relax a little, which will be good. Maybe I'll buy some food, and eat some too.

The work here is getting a bit on the tough side. Everyone that was progressing decided that they didn't want to continue. It is tough sometimes to be a missionary because you know how this gospel can change their lives, but they have to make the choice to accept it. I wish I could go into the future and show them how happy they would be if they would change their lives and how many blessings they would have. But, I can't, so I guess I just need to help them the best I can and they need to do the rest. Who knows, maybe one day one of them will get baptized.

But, we are teaching this guy named Diogo (Like Diego but with an o), he pretty much asked if he could get baptized in church and we told him that as missionaries that is what we do. So, hopefully, soon he will get baptized. But, that was this week, it went by pretty fast. Hope that all is going well and that everyone is happy.

Love you all!
Elder Bowman

I'm Singing in the Rain......Part II

Well as you can probably guess, I got to sing in the rain again this week. Really, I got to sing almost everyday, but as the days wore on my singing became more of a kind of grumbling mixed with music. It was strange. But, right now it is sunny, which is good , I need to dry out a little ( I remember that "to dry out" is slang in english, but I forgot what it means...) But, yeah, my wife is getting more beautiful with every rain storm, so I guess I can take a little more. (mission rule: the more rain you take, the more beautiful you wife becomes...shallow, but it makes you happy).

But this week, we did a lot of contacts in the street because we are trying to find some people to teach because our teaching pool is a little sparse. So we have been trying to find some good investigators who are searching for the gospel, and we've found some good people. This guy named Jose Roberto seems like he just wants to learn more, which is awesome because we want to teach more. We taught him the first lesson and he accepted the baptisimal invitation, which is always awesome. But, we are going to keep working to find some more awesome people like Jose. 

Funny story: So this week I recieved a little correction in the fine language of Portuguese. I had learned some slang in Mossoro, that which I continued to use here in Natal. I had developed the habit of saying putz (poots) whenever something went wrong. Well, I was saying this a lot, we are talking in the streets with a lot of people around, a lot. So Elder Wanderson informed me that this is not an appropriate thing to be saying. He told me basically that I was saying SOB when I was saying this. All I have to say is I am not responsible for my actions in the Portuguese Language, thank you. But we told a member this story and he flipped out a little, which was pretty funny. But hey, I'm learning here, cut me some slack and don't let me go around cursing like a drunk sailor next time.

But yeah that was my week. This Sunday we are going to have stake conference, which will be awesome. President Hall is going to come and speak, so it is definately going to be a good day.

But I love you all and miss you, hope things are going well and that you have a good week this week.

Peace and Blessings

Elder Bowman

Transferred to Natal

Well as many of you predicted, this week I was transferred. I must say that it was pretty hard to leave all of the people that I met and head to a new place...kind of felt like I was leaving on the mission again. But I got transfered to Natal, which is the Capital of Rio Grande do Norte. My new comp is Elder Wanderson, and he seems like he is a pretty cool guy. He's from Sao Paulo and likes to keep things clean...I think we will get along just fine.

I'm going to call home 5 o'clock here, so that is 2 o'clock, back home. Looking forward to see you all and now how things are going for you.

Sounds like Whitney and Corey are doing well. I thought that Corey's stories were pretty cool and funny. I must say that you find some strange people in the streets sometimes, quite strange indeed, but it just makes it all worth while when you can tell about that one time that some drunk guy kissed your hand...or maybe it just brings back very awkward feelings.

Anyway, I don't have a lot to say about my investigators because I'm going to met with them tonight. I bet they're awesome, I have yet to met an investigator that I don't like. 

Also! I got my package, and I ate a lot of the food, unfortunately I didn't have time to enjoy all of it and had to leave some with the other Elders. I think that they were okay with that.

But all in all I'm doing great. Have a great 4 days and I will talk to you then.

Love you all.

Elder Bowman