Becoming Master Teachers

This has been a really great week.  As you know we started off this week with Elder Ballard talking to us.  That helped us have more energy than we already had.  This week we have really tried to use his advice and become master teachers.  After my last email we had an appointment with someone that we had knocked on their door.  They had forgotten the day before, so we had set up to come back.  This time when we came back they were ready to hear us.  We gave the Restoration, and really tried to make it make sense to them, so the Holy Ghost could bear witness of the truth with more power.  The two guys really seemed like they understood the Apostacy, and saw how it could make sense to have a prophet now.  They are really cool, but they start college again today, so meeting with them is going to get harder.  We left them with a Book of Mormon and they both said that they are going to read, and they wanted to know if we had anymore resources.  We gave them a pass along card, with www.Mormon.org on it before and referred them back to that.  They said they really wanted to study it out and know if this what we said was true.  It was awesome.  Later in the week we went to a members house for dinner, and the wife's brother was staying with them, so we were able to set a later appointment with them.  We had a  great dinner and afterwards we taught the Restoration again.  The brother seemed a little resistant at first, but as we continued to teach he opened up more and more.  His brother in law(the member we went to visit) is a very powerful teacher.  He was able to understand so well the Apostacy that he saw the importance of Joseph Smith.  There was such a great spirit there when we were teaching him.  He said the closing prayer and thanked Heavenly Father for us, for his sister and brother in law, and for this truth that he had recieved.  He had a beautiful prayer and was very greatful for the Book of Mormon.  He Afterwards he told us how he just couldn't believe Joseph Smith, but because he understood why prophets were so important and why they had been taken off the earth, he knew Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God.  It was awesome.  Later in the week Elder B saw him again while I was on exchange with one of the Zone Leaders we live with.  We taught him again yesterday, and this time he accepted to be baptized.  He is going back to California today, but he is going with a testimony of Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and wanting to fully repent.  I'm sure the Californian Elders will enjoy this referral we give them.  He took some pictures with him and we will get them later from the members in the ward.  He was great to teach and I know he will be a strong member.  But while I was on exchange we had some really cool appointments.  We went to a less active members house and gave them a picture of teh temple being built and they were excited about that and said they would come to church this week because their son is preparing for the Aaronic priesthood now.  I didn't see them though, so I think the other Elders are going to go back and talk again with them.  Afterwards we had an appointment with this kid that a high school student had reffered.  We taught him the Gospel of Jesus Christ and he was really receptive to it.  He was really cool and really easy to get along with.  Later that night we had an appointment with a part member family.  She is a Peruvian Gourmet Chef, so to say the least, the food was delicous.  We also were able to have her husband talk to us more than he usually does.  We were able to explain a little better the Word of Wisdom, and I was able to pick up on some new Spanish words I had never heard before about food.  It was a really cool exchange.  We are continually seeing the blessing of hard work, and continue to try more.  Yesterday we learned about a Tropical Storm out in the Caribean that if it does hit us it will be around Thursday.  We are really prepared so we should be fine.  Elder B had a pretty nasty crash while I was gone on exchange.  Both times I have been on exchange he has been in a crash.  These other Elders are just bad luck for him.  That has been our week in a nutshell.  It was a pretty good week.  I am becoming more and more active  in what we do, and I do a lot of the contacting now, like 70%.  Sometimes Elder B has to help me, especially if it is in Spanish, but it is all going well.  Thank you all for your support and love.  I love you all and I know this church is true and that I am doing what God would have me do.  I love doing this work.  Jesus Christ is our Redeemer, and through him all can be saved.  I love this Gospel and this church.  Again thank you all so much for what you do.

Elder Wes Bowen

Florida Fort Lauderdale Mission

7951 SW 6th Street Suite 110

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33324