Mangos!!!

So this week we had a little bit of trouble, but we also had a good amount of mangos, haha. It was a fun week. Success wise, we didn't do so well, but it is all good. We will be doing better this week, I can just feel it. Transfers was fun, Elder N left our apartment, and Elder Bj is now our District Leader in our apartment. It is pretty fun to have him back again in the apartment, we get to talk a lot about all the experiences that we had together, it is so much fun. Finally here the mangos are ripe, so we have had so many lately, it is awesome. Elder Bj showed us this way to eat them, basically we mash them up, then we open a whole, and suck out of it. It is like have a mango drink, and it isnt as messy as cutting it. This week we just havent been able to get people to open the door for us, I dont know why. We have also been finding a lot of English too, which makes it hard for us, because we just have to pass them. Where we are, there is one area of really concentrated Spanish, and we have knocked it all, and missionaries in the past have really worked it too, so we have been trying to spread out, but it has lead to a lot of English passing. We might have to go a little bit more back to the complete Spanish area, but hopefully we will start finding more success where we are working, becuase we feel really good about actually branching out and working these areas that have not been touched for a while. We are pretty excited for this transfer, it is definately going to be a fun one. I will try and be better at sending more pictures. I thank you so much for what you do for me. I love this gospel, and I love this work. I know that it is the work of the Lord, and that he has called us to go and preach his gospel. I know that with Jesus Christ we can conquer all of our challenges, and have eternal life. I love you all so much, and am grateful for your support and letters.

it has been raining so I took some cool pictues with my camera, I only sent one of the rainy clouds, but there are some really cool pictures.  We got pretty wet this week, we did a lot of bike riding and there was plenty of rain,Elder Wesley Christopher Bowen

Mother's Day

Fun week for us. We didn't have all the success that we were really hoping for, but it was still fun, and we found some awesome people that we are really excited to get back and teach now. So for transfers, everyone in the district is changing, but me and Elder R. We were all kind of off on our predictions. There was one companionship we all said one stayed the other went, and it was the other way around. The one that is staying is a Spanish missionary in an English area, and his trainee, whos an English missionary is going.

We were stumped. But we are excited to have a new Elder in the apartment. This was definately a fun transfer, and I really hope that it sets us up for a lot of success this transfer. We did a lot of knocking this transfer, and finding, and now we have a pretty big pool of people to go check up on, but it is still going to be a lot of knocking to start this next transfer. We just have not been able to get into a groove of teaching a ton yet. But I'm sure it will come now, the Lord know's who is prepared, and he will lead us there.

After talking on mothers day, we went knocking some more, and we met a Spanish family, that all accepted baptism right away. We are super excited to get back and teach them, it was cool, because it was another, one more story kind of thing, and we had already had 2 experiences like that that day. Another one we were talking about how we always need to go one more, street, or house, or whatever, but sometimes nothing happens, and we just know that we will get indirect blessings. Well as we were walking away from the "one mores" that we did(which was like 5 or 6 houses) we were talking about that, and how we just need to trust in those indirect blessings, and then this guy came out and told us his family was mormon and that he wants to talk to us, so we should be seeing him soon. It is funny how the Lord works though, because if we hadnt done the few more, we would have walked another way back to our car, and he wouldn't have seen us, but it all was timed and placed perfectly. So another 6 weeks here though, it will be fun, we have some good plans. I know that this gospel is true, and that God has restored it fully again on the earth so that we may recieve all the many blessings he has for us. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior, and he wants us to come unto him and take upon us, his yoke. I love this gospel so much, and I thank you so much for your support, Love you all

　

Elder Wesley Christopher Bowen

Baptism

This was a pretty fun week for us. We had a challenge in the district that we completed at like 8:51 pm last night. It was fun because everyone would text in as they completed part of it, and we just kept on going and going until the last minute basically. It was tons of fun. We also had a 2 baptisms in the ward, one for us and one for the other Elders. It was cool, we had one service early and one late on Saturday, both were super spiritual, even though the one at night, the other Elders was during a youth dance. It was cool, we couldnt hear it though during the actually baptism, spirit blocked it out for us, haha. But it was awesome. Ours was a 10 year old kid, that came with some reactivation that has been going on for a while, and we did it on his birthday. The other Elders guy showed up at church like 2 weeks ago and said he wanted to get sealed to his wife in Peru, and they said they could help him. It was really cool, she sang a song for us over the phone "Asombro me da" or "Oh How Wonderful it is" in English.

We spent a lot of time contacting and knocking doors this week (it had to do with our challenge) and we had a lot of fun doing it, we made it a super priority to complete our goal so we really worked hard and were focused on what we were doing. We also had an exchange this week so we took some good pictures, hopefully I can get most the computers sent over. Thank you all so much for your support, and for remembering me, it doesnt seem like I am really 20, it just feels like time should be completely stopped and I'll come back and be 19 like before, but I guess not. I love this gospel so much, and I know through Jesus Christ we can all be redeemed from our sins and be able to make it to the Celestial Kingdom with our families. He sent us here to gain and learn experience, and he has given us the preisthood here on the earth to preform all the saving ordinances that we need.

I love it so much, and I love you all.

Elder Wesley Christopher Bowen

Awesome Week

Awesome week this week. We had some really cool experiences. At the end of last week we met this guy as we were knocking doors, and he said he had to go but that he really needed to talk to us and that we could come the next day, well he wasnt there so we were pretty bummed, but this past Monday we were able to get a hold of him and taught him

3 times this past week, and he came to church, super cool. He is progressing super fast, and he accepted a date right away, he was waiting for us to invite him after the first lesson. He loved church (who doesn't the first time they come and feel the great spirit) and we will see him again this week, and he will also come to our English class, so he is a pretty cool guy that we are teaching now. This past week we also were trained on a new teaching style, which has been pretty fun learning. It is a little hard to get used to, and we still havent quite figured out how to apply it in every lesson that we give (especially the restoration), but when we have used it it has been pretty cool. It is really focused on peaking the desires of people first, getting them to feel the spirit, and promising blessings, then telling them what it is that provokes such blessings, and then telling them how they can do it(usually with an invite). It isnt like to far off from what we have been doing, but it is a little different. We have seen some success with it, and it has been fun practicing it. It really has helped a lot of people feel the spirit more, and we were able to have more investigators in sacrament than I have ever had here before, which is what we focused most of our invitations on with the different lessons. It has definately been a fun week, and we are super excited to see how the next week goes. I will have pictures next week I promise. Thanks for all that you all do for me, I love you all so much, and I love this Gospel as well. I know that we can all live with our Father in Heaven again fi we follow his commandemnts and try our best each and everyday to improve and to use the Atonement in our lives. I know that Jesus Christ lives and that he helps us everyday. I am so grateful for all the blessings I have in my life.

I love you all and thank you so much



Elder Wesley Christopher Bowen

another week

So nothing crazy happened again this week. There were some funny experiences, but nothing to crazy. We have been dropping everyone that we were teaching like crazy thought this week. It seemed like most the week we were in a trio too, because one day we had another Elder with us, and one day we had a kid preparing to go on his mission, and another day, we had a member come to a few houses with us, so we had a lot of experiences with others, but our getting into the homes was a little weird this week. This week we are looking for a lot of improvement, so we are really excited to start this new week, so that way we can really get moving and get this area rolling again.

We keep getting trained on new things, so hopefully we can perfect the new things we are doing, so that way we can be super powerful missionareis. Also for this next week, our zone leaders gave us a challenge, that if we can complete, as a zone we will get to have a zone olympics next preperation day, which will be lots of fun. Today we are playing lazer tag in the church gym because one of the members bought some cool guns, and they want to do it for an activity, and we are getting to try it out. It should be pretty cool. Thank you all so much for all the love that you show me, and all the support you give me. I know that this church is true, and that God cares about each and every one of us, and all he wants is us to be happy, and sometimes that happiness comes through our trials, and us overcoming things. I love this gospelm and all that it has for us. I love you all, and love hearing from you.

Love

Elder Wesley Christopher Bowen

So I got my new companion this week, his name is Elder R.  He is a cool Elder, he is from Arizona, and has been in the mission for like a year and 4 months, maybe a little bit more.  We have been doing alright, doing a lot of finding lately, it has been pretty good.

Elder R actually started his mission in this area, so we are seeing some of the poeple that he knew.  He knew about some les actives that we didnt have any records for and a couple other things, which has been pretty cool.  There must be someone that he was supposed to get the first time, so president had to send him back.

Nothing to crazy has happened in the last week though, but we are enjoying our time here.  This month we should be getting some baptisms which is really exciting, we have some really awesome people that we are teaching, and there some really awesome potentials that we are going to be seeing this week.  I dont know why, but for some reason I havent had near as many crazy experiences in this area though, all the areas I have been in have been relatively wealthy compared to the other parts of the mission, and this area isnt really any different, but for some reason it has been pretty different.  I'm sure there will be some to tell soon though.  I'm greatful for my calling to be a missionary for the Lord and the time that I am allowed to dedicate to him, and show my love for him.  I know this chuch is true, and that Jesus Christ lives.  That he rose the 3rd day from teh tomb, as a resurrected glorified being.  I know that he cares for us, and wants the best for us.  I'm so greatful for all that we are given and have in our lives.  Thankyou all so much for what you do for me and for the support you give me.  I love  you all

Elder Wesley Christopher Bowen

Transfers again

We had a good week, we finally were able to get people to church. I
guess the varied amount of times helped. General Conference was so
good this time, man I get so pumped hearing it. We have a recent
convert going through some rough times, and she said that every single
talked applied to her and she has renewed strength now to continue
onward. Super cool to see the testimony of recent converts be
strengthened as they hear the voice of the prophet. It is super cool
that we have apostles and prophets again in the earth who are able to
recieve revelation literally for everyone in the world, if we just
listen to the spirit as they talk. But this is the end of the
transfer now, and Elder T is heading out, so I'll find out who my
new companion is tomorrow, pretty excited. So what happens in this
mission is a little bit different than other missions I guess, no one
know who their companion is until they go to this giant transfer
meeting, but we get a call Monday night telling us who needs to pack,
and if you are training they tell you that too. The other Elders in
our apartment kept saying that I was going to train, but then the call
came, and nope, haha it was funny though because they asked the zone
leaders if they forgot anything, like if Elder Bowen is training, and
they were like pshh no, over half the zone is training already.
Everyone in our zone that is not training though is transferring. But
this month we were also able to reach our mission goal of 100 baptisms
for the first time. We actually got 106, and we are aiming to do it
again this transfer. Started the goal in October, and six months
later we finally got it. Never has been done in the Florida Fort
Lauderdale missino, so that is pretty cool. When I got here too we
were only getting about 30-50 a month, but since October we have been
anywhere from 76-106. Pretty cool, and this month in this area we
should really be able to contribute to that, we have some solid
investigators and some good potentials we think, so hopefully we are
able to pull those through. That has been basically the focus of my
week so far, so thats about it. I love this work, and I am so
grateful for all the many blessings that I have in my life. I am so
very grateful that can serve in this mission and see the Lord's hand
in his work. I know this gospel is true and that we can all know it.
I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior, and that he is the head of
this church, with the prophet as his mouthpeice. I know that we can
live in families forever with Gods eternal plan, if we follow the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. I love you all so much, and am grateful for
all you do for me, and the support you give me.

Elder Wesley Christopher Bowen