Christmas Finally Came!

Well the mission this week has been a great joy for me. Im anticipating that ill be transfered to a new area (ill find out later today if yes or not) and so i´ve been trying to enjoy my last week in SanCarlos as much as i could. I had my happy 15 month mark and me and my companion worked hard, but also were able to celebrate well the week long. We first made hot chocolate and had a good long chat about everything. The pday last week, we went to the central market and bought matching cheeta pants that we wore and took pictures with! The small but sweet joys of life no?

The next day we went to a small resturant next to the church that is owned by less actives. We contacted the owner, ordered a meal (for my happy month) and then were able to make an appointment to talk with the owner this next week that comes. I hope it all works out and we can rekindle the spirit in his heart.

El Piconcito

Thursdaday was awesome becuase we had lunch with the bishop, and he went and found A&W rootbeer and we had rootbeer floats. They were sooo good and Elder Ushi never had tired it before so it was fun to share it with him. he brough his worms or suri again so we were able to try it for a 2nd time. Also... a suprise came and i got a huge package in the mail. After 5 months in travel... finally my christmas package came and it was soo fun to open it and have a mini christmas experience. My companion and i divided the gifts into two piles and took turns opening the gifts up. I explained the joke we have in our family about how everything is a flashlight and my companion was playing along. it was soooooooooo cool to get all the cool stuff, and then be able to share it with the people we visit. I was passing out a piece of beef jerkey to all the people we visit and then the memebers of our ward council. Some liked it, some not... but it was a first expeirence for a lot of them!

I finally got my Christmas box!

Trying Jerky for the first time

Sharing Beef Jerkey with the Zegarra Family (Anni, Dianna, and Sofía)

Root beer Floats!

Trying out Root Bear Floats

Members of our ward counsel

We tried to show a little love to some of the less actives or recent converts that were attending church through means of heart attacking and it was fun to try and sick everything up and then try and run away with out being detected. The week ended on a high note with an old investigador attending church. her name is Maivey and she is a single mother a little boy that has 6 years. Were hoping to work with her to be bapitized with her goal of May. Well see what happens!

We had to attack his car, cause his door was open.

End result of heart attacking

Saying Goodbye to my "mother" the great, one and only Hermana Espinoza

District San Carlos: Elder Ushi, Hermana Bowers, Hermana Páez, Elder Vargas

Funny faces

La Hermana Alisia who always made every lunch by hand and with such affection!

My companion found this cock roach in her cup after the hot chocolate night

The Bishop's son Dillan "This is the life"

Thanks for everyone and your support!

Hermana Bowers

I love to decorate!

I miss my cat!

Check out the rainbow!

What can I say about this week. We had interview with the president, and that leaves me with one more interview in July before I return home. It was a good chance to talk to him for a little bit and Sister Ecrickson gave us REESES for having our apartment clean. I about cried and it was soooo good when i ate it later. This week my companion had her happy 11 month mark and so I ordered us pizza to celebrate. the actual date when she had her 11 months we didn't do anything because we were sick and had ward council so we got late home. So i made it up to her and ordered the pizza but it was SOOO late when it arrived! We asked at 9;15 and it got to our room at 11. We had given up hope, brushed our teeth and were in bed. Then BOOM BOOM BOOM we hear a knock on our door and it was the pizza woman. We step out blurry eyed and accept the pizza. I pay the price (everyone tells me it should have been free, but what would have Christ done?) and we have a little picnic on our floor eating the pizza until 11:30 at night. Ha ha.

Pizza at 11:30 pm

One of our recent converts, Rosita, had her 13th birthday and we helped out the mom (who isn't a member) in decorating the house when her daughter was at school. It was super fun, and made me realize how much I miss decorating! Crazy. It was cute to see everyone getting excited, and then we pass by later in the night to take some silly photos and see just how absolutely she glowed with happiness with her birthday party.

Other than that our week was normal. Just teaching preaching, and trying to get people to come to church. This week was... another let down. The people that we committed to come... didn't. We passed by their houses, called them... and nothing. So last night we went to visit them and see what happened. Were trying to keep things positive but its been week after week of the same that were admittedly getting frustrated. But there is always hope for this next week and we hope to start it off well. We even fasted this Saturday for our investigator, and it was exactly when everyone wanted to buy us food that night. but we were strong and said no no no and were able to complete our fast! It´ll do good I know! Well next week are transfers so well see where I end up going (either staying here or going to a new area). I hope that everyone is in good health and I wish you all the very best!

Pday we had no net to play volley ball so we got creative and used a hose. 

General Conference Weekend!

Excited for General Conference

Waiting for Conference to begin!

Happy Easter to all or as they say here Feliz Semana Santa o Feliz Pascua! Here is a weekend long of time to be with family, festivities and different misas. The culture is predominately catholic here, so there were lots of movies about Jesus on the TV Friday and Saturday, people in the streets with their palm fronds in processions singing, and even people doing reenactments in the streets of the last supper, and then of the betrayal of Jesus. I didn't have my camera to snap a pictures, but it was the first time I saw the plays and it was interesting! Viernes Santo were treated to a chifa or a Chinese restaurant by a member and it was good! (though my hearts still set on Panda Express on the states). Saturday we were super happy and excited to be able to hear and see conference. We didn't have any investigators in the Saturday sessions, but Sunday was awesome to have 5 different people listening and experiencing conference for the first time. 

Montez Family

Earlier in the week, Tuesday, we had a little ward activity in which we watched the new videos of the bible about the atonement of Jesus Christ and were able to have some of our new converts come. It was a great opportunity to remember a little bit about the importance of the season and then be able to play games afterwards.

Wednesday, my companion whipped out her talents and a member bought all the ingredients and she made Tacos. I did not realize how much this Californian Girl missed Mexican food, until my taste buds came into contact with the heavenly bundle of taco supremeness that my companion made. I just about cried. ah ha ha.

Sarita from Collique

The most exciting thing this week was having our five investigators in the church these week. one is the mother of a recent convert that we absolutely love and her son in the mission in Argentina. Shes been investigating the church for a while but hasn't felt the confidence or spiritual umph you could say to be baptized, and I hope that the conference helped her feel the spirit and awaken the desire to make a covenant with her heavenly father. Another joy was to have a young married couple with their newly born baby come to church and enjoy the second Sunday session. We have hopes for them to progress and it was the first time that they have attended a religious meeting in our church, and they said they liked it! So were hoping that they´ll get a testimony of the book of Mormon soon and accept to be baptized. There was another surprise as well. A member gave us a reference of a old investigator, we passed by, but he wasn't home. So we left a pamphlet and a note. Lo and behold, he shows up the the morning session of conference with the note, and later today we have an appointment with him, so were keeping our fingers crossed that maybe this time he´ll accept to be baptized.

I hope for everyone that it was a fun Easter season and that we can always apply the sacrifice of Jesus that this week represents in our lives.

Lunch with the zone

Con mucho amor,
Hermana Bowers

Yunsa! --Peru's Easter Celebration

Well I´m short on time due to some school matters but I hope you enjoy the fotos of the yunsa! This week is the semana Santa or the holy week to commemorate Easter. Were going to do a special activity Wednesday to celebrate Jesus and his resurrection, and the people here have various forms to be able to celebrate. A Yunsa is when they put up a tree full of prizes, it could be balloons, shirts, plastic chairs, food, and then they all dance around the tree and take turns whacking at it with an ax. The person who cuts the tree has to pay for the new tree next year. Its a gran pinata of sorts ha ha. This week, once again, we didn't have investigators in the chapel. Its interesting because were doing all our part, so were trying to stay positive and see what the lord is trying to teach us. Enjoy general conference and I hope that all is well wherever it is that you read this letter!!!!!

Eating Breakfast with the zone

Love,
Hermana Bowers

Eating Guinea Pig

So this week was bitter and sweet. It was a really good week in fact, but absolutely no one came to church that we had committed so we are really bummed out. However, I'm only going to focus on all the absolutely cool stuff that happened this week to turn the frowns upside downs!!

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Monday was fun because we had a water fight with a whole bunch of zones. my companion had the brilliant idea to go to the market and buy water guns. so we zoom off in a motto taxi and return and start to sneak attack everyone. it was super muddy where the hose was, and the zone leaders started carrying and dropping one another in the giant mud pit. the sisters started flinging mud at each other, but I escaped unmuddified. later we finished the day at a pizza restaurant with old friends in different zones and it was a great day.


Wednesday we had a meeting with Elder Godoy who is a general authority (70). He originally speaks Portuguese and we heard from our mission president and his wife, then from sister Godoy and Elder Godoy. Elder Godoy was super warm friendly, and surprisingly humorous. It was a great training and I got to ask a question (he did a question and answer session) and learned more about the importance of being sealed as a family.


When we returned we had the talent show for our ward which turned out to be great fun. Our dancing contacts came and were able to show off their talents and we were able to sing querido juan with Oscar, our first counselor and then give our shadow puppet show a whirl. we miscalculated the difficulties to manage the puppets, hold the microphone, and read the script while hiding behind a low blanket with a extremely hot lamp behind us... so it didn't really come out who we wanted, but yea it was an experience well never forget, and my companion and I still crack up thinking about it.


Then Saturday we were able to go to a baptism of my companions old investigator in her area that is just a couple of blocks from where were at. This brother heard from the missionaries 14 years ago but didn't get baptized for personal doubts and struggles. but lo and behold when sister Paez and her companion knocked on the door it changed his life forever, and this last Saturday could enter into the path that could bring him back to his heavenly father. I really liked his story because it makes me feel better about all the people that we maybe have tried to help and teach that rejected the message. we never know the impact of our presence on this person, and maybe just 14 years down the road they remember and be able to have the faith to take the step to come unto the Father.


For lunch Saturday a member, Alisia Montero, made us the well known Cui for lunch. or as it is called in English, guinea pig. We were super excited to be able to try it because it was the first time for my companion and I and we squealed and ate as much as we could. the way the sister prepared it you eat the skin and everything.... and it was such an experience!!! she gave us the heads as well, and i ate an eyeball, and my companion the tongue, but we didn't have enough morally courage for the other parts (ie the brain). Elder Ushi helped us out with that. Saturday then ended perfectly when our first counselor invited the district to pizza (we now have a new favorite pizza place). We got to hear a bit of his conversion story, and how awesome really is the book of Mormon!!! (he went from smoking 3 packs of cigarettes a day to 0!!!)

Then well, Sunday ended on a rather sad note when the 8 or 9 people that we committed to come to church... well didn't. I was tearing up a little in sacrament meeting but a loving member who we reactivated (Miriam whose son we baptized) was so very loving, gave me a sweet note and made me feel a lot better. It doesn't matter the language, the place, the culture, the country, the love of the savior is so strong and influences so many to do good its astounding.


Shout out to my mother for her awesome missionary experience this week, and I would love to hear from others of ways that they are opening their mouth to be able to share the good news of the gospel.


Much love de


Herman Bowers

Getting ready for our puppet show

So Hermana Paéz and I didn't get transferred so I will stay in San Carlos until 21 of April. After that I think that I will go to a different area... "to die" as they say in the mission. I'm really excited to be with my companion and to still be in this area. We are hitting a rut as it goes progress wise, but finally we had one person come to church for the first time this last week, so it was great to have at least ONE that is progressing now.

Our Zone

This last p day we had a parillada with a family in our ward to say goodbye to Elder Mejilla. we now have a new district leader, Elder Vargas, from Texas serving with us in San Carlos, and were excited to be able to progress and have some baptisms soon.

Grillin

A funny story that happened last night is that we passed by to see if a family was home to visit and they were just leaving, but a neighbor was passing by. We invited her to the talent show that we were going to have and she absolutely lit up! Oh my boy sings and dances she exclaimed. She was talking about it, and then invited us into her house to show us the taping that she had of her child on TV a couple of days ago. And it sure is true, he sings and dances like a little maniac and is incredible! he was in the house (hes 11) and performed for us, as well as his 3 year old sister, and we were talking about his experiences. To show our appreciation we shared a bit about the plan of salvation and the family accepted us to come back and share a bit more this Friday. they told us they won't baptize because they´re baptized in the catholic church, but we have faith that hearing about the restored gospel will help the holy ghost to touch their hearts and changes their minds! That is a big obstacle that we have hit this week about people only wanted to listen to us, but not follow through with their promises. But were trying to do practice and verify better to try and help the people progress.

This next week we have a tour from Elder Godoy, and were super excited. This Wednesday were going to hear from him my companion and I are stoked! Also in our ward we have a missionary activity of a talent show. us missionaries are preparing to tell a story from the Book of Mormon using shadow puppets. We have been working on it with every free moment that we have and I think that it will turn our really great! I don't know how to send videos but at least I try to send pictures.

Hope everything is going well, I love to hear form you all, and I appreciate your prayers, emails, and letters! Yesterday I completed 14 months in my mission. I hope to continue to receive your support for these last 4! Whooo!

Hermana Bowers

My Apartment