Christmas!

It was super good to see you this Tuesday. It made my week, and all the presents. Thank you for all that you do. This week in Okeechobee we had some great success. We started off a little rough, but we wanted to make sure we did work. We made sure that we harvested on Christmas, and it sure blessed us. I'm sure that the blessings we received were due to the obedience that we had throughout the week. We had some great spiritual experiences throughout the week. As a district we were focused super hard on setting people with dates to be baptized, and we went out with faith and did it. It gave us a lot of people to follow up with, it was awesome. We were able to find a lot of people to set us up really well for this month. We are extremely excited for the month of January. We have also been able to bring some more members out with us this week. A lot of the appointments that we set up fell through when the members came, but that is okay, we were able to see some great enthusiasm from the members, and they are really rallying to help us, and it is helping us a lot, and I am sure we will see lots of progress this week as the members continue to come with us. I love you all and I am grateful for what you do for me. I am grateful for all the support and gifts you gave me, they really were fantastic. Thank you all so much, I love you. I know that this gospel is true, and I know that Jesus Christ was born, lived, died, and raised up so that we may all receive life eternal. I am grateful for him and all that he did for me. I love you all!

Elder Wesley Christopher Bowen

Barren to Bountious

This week was a great week for us here in Okeechobee. A lot went on, and we were able to see some miracles. At the beginning of the week, we felt that we had basically baptized or dropped all but 1 investigator, and we were getting close to dropping her too, so we felt a little apprehensive to start the week, but we some great miracles happened as we put our shoulder to the wheel. At the beginning of the week I went on an exchange to Fort Pierce to see what was going on there, and while I was there Elder D did a great job taking over once again. He and Elder Bu were able to find some who would say yes to baptism, which helped set the week up well, and they were also able to go and teach the one investigator we were thinking of dropping soon. There they were able to firm her up and help her feel closer to baptism. Then throughout the week we were able to return to those yes's and we were able to find a lot of people. A decent number of whom accepted dates, but then fell through by not coming to church, for a different reasons, and we were able to get the work going well again this week. We had a lot of success that is really going to start setting up for the next week and the next month, we are very excited for what is going on here. We had a lot of fun teaching all the new people, and we were able to really find some good prospects, that we did not have at the beginning of the week. Christmas is going to be crazy for us, because we have to have district training that day, which got thrown onto us kind of last minute, but it is also exciting, and pretty good because we will have it on one of the, well, less productive days. I know it says that holidays should be good times to proselyte, but I am still trying to find that part in those days, but we will be looking for miracles tomorrow, the Lord will bless us for the work we do. I love this work, and I am so grateful for the blessings we receive. I know that God is helping us and he loves each and everyone of us, and this is why he sent his son. I love this work, and I love all you

Elder Wesley Christopher Bowen

Week 2 of training

This week has been a crazy week. We had 3 meetings, one of which was in Fort Lauderdale, so we lost a few hours, haha, like an entire day with meetings, but it was fun, and I learned a lot in a very short amount of time. We have been doing some good work up here in Okeechobee as well. We were able to have 2 baptisms this week, which were awesome. One was on Friday. She was a member's sister that had changed her life around, and very quickly with the Lords help, leaving behind smoking and coffee very quickly. The other was an African American, which happened on Sunday after church, who sadly will not be with us for too much longer because he is heading back to Georgia at the beginning of the year, but he is super awesome, already prepared by the Lord to live the commandments and receive the blessings that the restored gospel had for him. Elder D was able to baptize him as well, and that was very special for him, his first baptism! This week within the 3 meetings we also had 2 exchanges, one with the Zone Leaders, and the other with one of the members of the District. With the Zone Leaders I went to Stuart with Elder Bj, and Elder D took over our area. He did a great job, and was able to navigate himself very well. I didn't have to take over the area for the first time, until after the first transfer was completly over. Elder D did it before his first week was completly over, crazy! With Elder Bj I had tons of fun. It was like bringing back the past, but both of us better at Spanish and at teaching. We saw some great success in their area. The next day I took my area back over, but with Elder De, so it was crazy because I was not totally sure what had happened the day before, but we went back and followed up on some people that Elder D told me about. Overall it was just a crazy week which we were able to have a lot of fun in. Elder D and I are doing great together, and cannot wait to see the successes and experiences we are going to have together. I know that the Lord is working here in Okeechobee, and in Florida, and is preparing people throughout all the world to feel and receive the restored gospel. I know that he cares for his children, and is always creating opportunities for us to succeed and receive more blessings and love. I know that we can all be instruments in the Lord's hands and change peoples lives. I know that Christ was born, lived, and sacrificed his life, so that we may receive life ourselves. I love this gospel so much, and I love you all so much, and appreciate all that you do for me. I hope to hear from you soon

Elder Wesley Christopher Bowen

I have a son!

So this was an exciting transfer meeting. I am now training Elder D, who is from Spanish Fork, Utah. He is an amazing Elder with lots of heart and is looking forward to his mission. He loves what he does, and is making a lot of progress very quickly. Not only that though, but I am now District Leader here in Okeechobee, never been done since Okeechobee was opened to work like 3 years ago, and for good reason. We had a baptismal interview this Saturday, which fell through when we got there, and we spent 70 miles to go to the middle and back, and they spent 70 miles to pick us up and bring us back. It was a little crazy, but we will get it all worked out. It is going to be a lot of fun here. We had some really cool experiences. This Friday Elder D should have his first baptism, so he is very excited. He is a very good Elder. The first day he invited 3 people to be baptized, and is always working to be better at what he does. He also is not afraid to talk in the lessons, so he will learn fast the things to say and what not to say. We had some powerful lessons, and I am very grateful that he was there to back me up. We had some disappointing things happen, but we will be able to continue onward I believe. We are really excited for this month and all that we are going to be able to do together, and for these 12 weeks coming up. We have 2 hour companionship studies again, so it is a little weird, but we have a lot to do in that short amount of time, so we are working hard. We have had some really good spiritual experiences together. One day we finished a street of harvesting, and we decided we needed to do a little bit more, so we started biking down to another place, and we saw a man on the other side of the road, we stopped by, and left a blessing with him. He accepted baptism, and also came to church this Sunday, it was really awesome, and Elder D is really excited about it. We are just working really hard here, and I am so grateful to the strength that my Savior gives me. We have felt it a ton, and seen it change so many peoples lives down here, and I know that he is always watching out for us. He knows us, and loves us more that we can possibly know, and I know he will support through anything that we do that is righteous. i love this gospel so much, and I love you all. Hope to hear from you sooon

Elder Wesley Christopher Bowen

Greenie in Okeechobee

So another transfer has come and gone, and a crazy awesome one at that. We had a lot of fun, and had a lot of success. We worked super hard and the branch is super excited about missionary work. We have been able to be apart of a lot here. We were able to start someone on the 7 days to quit smoking program the other day, and she is now on day 6, and is doing awesome. She said she woke up and didn't even think about cigarettes until several hours later, when she realized that she did not want any. It is super cool. We are seeing a lot of potential for this month, and we think that we will be able to continue onward and upwards and hopefully make this branch a ward soon enough. Elder L is leaving now, he is a little upset, but he has been here for 6 months now so he has just about knocked the whole place. At least everything that is permitted by our miles to be knocked and followed up with. I will be getting a greenie here and training him for probably the next 3 months, so I should be here a while. It is pretty exciting, he most likely isn't even in the mission yet, and if he is he is probably getting off the plane right now. Nothing else is really that new, we had a good week with the members helping us out a ton, which is really helping the work.I do not have to much more to say, but I love you all, and I thank you for all that you do. I know that this is the Lord's work, and he always has a plan for everyone. I know that I am doing what he would have me do, and I know that he is here for me all of the time, to strengthen me, and to uplift me, and to guide me. I love you all. I hope to hear form you soon.

Elder Wesley Christopher Bowen