Ukulele Song

Miracles were worked by small means

Alma 37:40 - "...therefore they had..many miracles wrought by the power of God, day by day. Nevertheless, because those miracles were worked by small means it did show unto them marvelous works.

Aloha Dad :) Thanks for the email, I love hearing about the Hale Center, and the recording of Jordans singing IT IS SO GREAT!! I cant wait to go to Hale Center again :)

I'm glad you liked our song, some other sisters in our mission wrote it but I think its a perfect teaching tool so I adapted it ;) Honolulu is great and it sounds like everyone at home is great, getting excited for summer! Graduation here in Hawaii is a really big thing so nobody has been home and the traffic is nuts, but the Lord blesses us with safety and we still had so much happen this week.

By small and simple things are MIRACLES brought to pass. This week was miraculous and I feel so grateful to the Lord that he is allowing me be front and center to watch his work unfold. We were blessed with very busy days this week and unbelievable amounts of lessons but to keep it shorter (which it still isn't) here are the highlights:

Monday night we went to visit a Palouan family the Elders had referred us to and we had set up an appointment with the week before. We have been praying so hard for this family. When we got there we knocked and the mom (Malina) and one of her boys (Malu age 4) answered with big smiles and invited us right in. We walked in and met their oldest boy (Raymond age 8) and the Dad, Ashley. There were two empty chairs pulled up for us and the whole family sat ready for our lesson. We talked story for a few minutes and found out Malina is Protestant but trying to be a Catholic because her husband is Catholic and they want the same religion. (😄) We prayed and then asked them about what they knew about missionaries and our church. She told us her friend was Mormon and they went to the Polynesian Cultural Center together. Malina then said, "I heard you can be baptized for your family who have passed away in the temple, how does that work?" And "I also heard you can be married even after you die, right?" We couldnt believe it. NOTHING is better for a missionary than having an investigator ask a question like HOW CAN MY FAMILY BE TOGETHER FOREVER!!! Because that just happens to be something we know a little bit about. We felt teaching the Plan of Salvation would be perfect for them so we went right into explaining it. They loved the Plan of Salvation and asked a lot of really great questions. When we were teaching about the 3 kingdoms they said, "Most churches teach that there is only a heaven and hell. It's reassuring to know he gives us so many second chances." What. That's a comment you hear in relief society not in a first lesson with the missionaries. Then they asked, "Do you study the Old Testament?" Which lead perfectly into teaching about the Book of Mormon and The Restoration through Joseph Smith. We talked about how Joseph Smith was a prophet just like the prophets in the Bible. Malina then said, "Oh! Do you have a movie about Joseph Smith? I love movies like those." Well as a matter of fact we do. Their questions and comments were so unreal, it almost felt like one of the fake practices you do in the MTC. We showed them the restoration video and they loved it. They were impressed with our answers to their questions and the spirit was so strong. We asked Ashley and Malina if they would pray about Joseph Smith and the Restoration and they so sincieraly answered that they would. We closed with a prayer and as we were leaving I went to shake Ashleys hand and he pulled me into a great big hug. The kids love us and they are all excited to have us come back this week. WE WERE SO GRATEFUL TO HAVE SUCH AN AMAZING LESSON. I am praying that they will continue to feel the spirit and come to know they have found the true church! By small things (Leading the Elders to the wrong apartment) he has brought about something that has strengthened my testimony and will hopefully one day lead their family to the temple. 😊❤

Thursday we went to visit Clarence, a 60 year old Uncle from Kosraen, who LOVES his pamphlets. I have never met anyone (including the missionaries) who love our pamphlets more than him. We had a lesson and he told us he had run all the way from the bus stop home to be there so he wouldn't miss us because he was so excited to get his pamphlets in his language. He kept saying the whole lesson, "I can't believe you have these pamphlets in my language, they mean everything to me, I study them every morning with my Bible and Kosraen Mormon Bible." He is so adorable (see picture), and he met missionaries back when he lived in Kosraen. He told us his Uncle use to be a really bad alcoholic and after the missionaries gave him "the blue Mormon bible" he "Didn't drink no more and walked around the village with the Mormon bible." He obviously was very impressed with how much the Book of Mormon can change somebody like his Uncle so I was prompted to ask, "Would you like to change like your Uncle?" He said "why not?!" Clarence is going to be baptized 😊

Friday we had a lesson with our investigator Mercy who is so close to being baptized!! We asked her how her Book of Mormon reading is going and she basically described how it must have felt to be Sariah and have to listen to her husband and leave their home. "I don't know if I could do that." I guess it's a normal thing to have our investigators LIKEN THEMSELVES TO THE STORIES IN THE BOOK OF MORMON. We had a lesson about CPR (church, pray, read) and had a discussion about the Book of Mormon. It was almost more like visiting teaching...I mean ministering (😉) than a lesson with an investigator. I feel so much love for these people that I am blessed to teach and I get so excited when I see them understanding and loving what we are teaching. Mercy has an adorable little granddaughter named Marciann and whenever we come, she busies herself with her toys and acts like she isn't paying attention but Mercy reported to us that after every lesson Marciann teaches everything we have taught to her Mom and Grandpa. She taught them the 10 Commandments song, with the hand actions, drew a diagram I showed them of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and explained it, and explained the Word of Wisdom to them. If only our members would do missionary work like Marciann ;) She makes my heart so happy and I love seeing how neat it is that little kids are ALWAYS paying attention. 

Sunday our 2 investigators Jayann and Justino had their baptism interviews and they will be getting baptized this week! I love these two so much and can't wait to see them baptized. We showed them some pictures we had printed off that we were going to give to another family in our branch that was baptized and they carried them around the whole day, looked at them, asked if they would get pictures taken and printed off, asked about the white jumpsuits, and it just made me so happy to see them so intrigued and excited about baptism.

I love this work and I love these people, I can't imagine having gone my whole mission without serving in the Branch. I gave a talk yesterday in Sacrament meeting on Charity and couldn't help but think that missionary work is nothing but loving and supporting everyone, some members and some soon to be ;) Our purpose on this earth is to learn to love like the Savior and our Heavenly Father loves us. I am grateful for my mission for helping mr understand that. 

I love you and I love emailing you all my miracles every week, thanks for your emails I look forward to them so much and love hearing about summer coming up. :) Have a great week, I love you!!!

Of a atu,

Sister Bowen 

Working in rain in Palolo 

SHRIMP

Dinner, Unicorn fish :)

Sister E got so sunburned haha

Me in President Bekkers desk haha 

Matching ties for seeing Elder Holland and Elder Bednar

Dad,

Sorry about my lame email last week, We were going crazy trying to finish our matching ties for seeing Elder Holland and Elder Bednar 😄

I LOVED talking to you all on Mothers Day, I can't wait to be home and sitting with you all in person 😊 Only 5 more months, but I'm not counting down...missionary work is too good ;) 

I probably looked chubby hahaha i'm trying to be better at managing my weight but I'm in Hawaii I'm suppose to go home full of Kalua Pork and Pineapple 😉 

Elder Holland and Elder Bednars visit was so incredible!! Even they said that having 2 of the apostles (not to mention 2 of the greatest teachers on earth) together teaching us and doing Q and A with us is a rare once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I did my best to soak it in. 

We all met in front of the Laie temple and stood ready for a picture until Elder Holland and Elder Bednar and Sister Bednar came and then we filed over to the stake center to have our devotional. On our way to the stake center we all got to shake Elder Holland and Elder Bednar hands!! When it was my turn to shake Elder Holland's hand I grabbed his hand and couldn't help but laugh a little as I said Elder Holland! It's so good to meet you! Thank you for coming today! His eyes were so light blue and he looked so happy to see me. I know he was probably scanning my soul but I was just so happy to be looking at him and see him looking at me one on one it didnt even phase me. Next I walked up to elder bednar and said, "You gave advice to my Dad for me 6 months ago here on my mission, thank you for That it helped me so much!" He said you're welcome and I went on to thank sister Bednar for being there. I k ow Elder Bednar probably gives advice to Dads for their daughter on missions everyday but I am so lucky because I actually got to personally thank him for that advice. How cool is that. 😊😊

 Elder Holland started off talking to us by telling us about an old movie with Audrey Hepburn where she says to the man she's in love with, "Do you know what's wrong with you? Absolutely nothing." He said our mission was perfect and President Bekker was the best mission President he knew. I knew it meant a lot to hear that from Elder Holland because The Bekkers have built this mission from the ground up, and last time Elder Holland visited he didn't have quite as friendly words for the mission. I'm so proud to be apart of the Hawaii Honolulu Mission, we are such an obedient hardworking mission for how easy it would be to just cruise all day. He talked about how important a mission is and that the most important convert from a mission is yourself. He also said, "this has to be forever! You can never ever be what you use to be. You either become better or worst, I hope you choose to become something much better than you you use to be." We are the Lord's Sheppards right now as members and leaders in the church, me as a missionary and you as a parent, calling holder, priesthood holder, member missionary etc. and the Lord cannot afford to lose his Sheppards!! Elder Holland was as passionate in real life as he is in general conference. 😉

Elder Bednars talk was so impressive to me, but why am I surprised, he's the best ;) I recently have been feeling overwhelmed as a missionary because there seems to be so many people to help and so few people keeping commitments and so many less active members etc. etc. I thought I would be a better missionary and feel like a had a handle on the work but I don't. Elder Bednars words were an answer to a question I didn't even realize I had until that day. He said, "The longer you are out on your mission the more you should realize you know nothing. If you are not blown away by how many responsibilities you need to step back and realize how important your role is." I went on to tall about how that doesn't mean we have to be stressed or sad but we do need to realize that we can't do this without the Lord. This is HIS work. I loved that because I realized that my feelings of being overwhelmed were not because I'm failing as a missionary but because I am going throughThat sometimes painful stage of changing and realizing that it's not up to me, the Lord is just allowing me to be apart of his work as long as I am worthy and willing. I think trusting that the Lord is going to accomplish what seems like the impossible right now is apart of my conversion, just as much as it is apart of my investigators conversion. Someday I'll have perfect faith and be perfectly humble and be perfectly patient but until then I'll rely on the experiences the Lord keeps giving me to increase my love and trust in him.

One story Elder Bednar told us that actually had to do with Elder Holland was, "in one of my first general conferences right before it was my turn to get up to share my testimony to the world, Elder Holland, who I sit next to, leans over to me and says, "the fate of the church and the world all depends on you for the next 16 minutes." Elder Bednar replys, "you know all these people watching probably think your telling me words of encouragement." The Elder Holland just laughs and sits back in his chair was Elder Bednar walks up to speak to the world Hahahaha. He said that righteous playfulness is very important 😉😊 

This week we had so many miracles, we ended up having 7 new investigators in our area! I love serving with these people and am learning how to be a real city girl 😉 

One experience I had this week that I will never her forget was when we went to visit the Anser Family who is a part member family that we are trying really hard to get active again so we can baptize their 11 year old daughter Jayann, and 9 year old boy Justino. They also have a 7 year old girl named Jayzareen. Jayann and Justino don't like reading the Children's BOM stories and don't like coming to church but adorable little Jayzareen is so excited about the gospel and tries so hard. On Friday we were sitting on the floor visiting with their Auntie and Sister Eberhard was doing most of the talking because auntie speaks half English half Chuukese and Sister Eberhard knows more than me. So I asked Jayzareen if she had read any of the stories and she opened up the book really excited and showed me the page she had been reading before. I said we should read it together and so she started reading in her cute little 7 year old voice from the BOM stories and would ask me what different words were and sat right up next to me. It hit me while she was reading that this was probably one of the few, if not the only, time in her life an adult had taken time to patiently sit right next to her and read the Book of Mormon with her and give her a high five when she finished a story. It's just not apart of their culture to have the parents take care of their kids, It made me want to cry. I have been so blessed, not only physically with a wonderful home and not having to worry about when I would be fed next but also with parents that spent time with me and taught me the gospel. If anything has come from my mission it is an appreciation for and resolve to be a mom that follows the example of my parents. Thank you for all you did for me I love you so so much. I hope I can give Jayzareen in the time that I'm here some of what you gave me. 

Last but not least this week was transfers and me and Sister Eberhard are staying in Honolulu so I'll be killing her and continue to be an STL. I'm glad to be here and glad to be overwhelmed 😉 Sister Fifita is going to Waianae with Sister Chappel and I'm SO EXCITED 😊 

I love you so much and hope you enjoy the pictures 😙❤ 

Ofa atu, 

Sister Boullion 

A typical day in the life of Chuukese speaking Sister Bowen 

Us and Zone Leaders including Elder Wardell from Quidabus mission who just got reassigned to Hawaii for health issues #luckyduckwardell 

7 Brothers burgers on North Shore after Laie trip 😍

 A recent convert explained to us for about 40 minutes how the Godhead is like a corporation for McDonald's tiles. Typical breakfast conversation. 😉

Friends :) Kalina (RM from our ward) had her friends from her mission stay with her and we came for dinner 

Ran Allim! ❤

I tried writing this throughout the week, so if it's too much of an overload of spiritual greatness.. well, that's just too bad. It was another great week to be a missionary in Hawaii!!

On Tuesday, we had District Meeting-- which I feel could be referred to more as a "missionary pump up" meeting. Our focus has been on personal testimony lately, but particularly on the power of the Book of Mormon. We ended the meeting with roleplays, and our first one was a door approach using the Book of Mormon. This was SO COOL because about half an hour later, we did the exact same door approach, word for word at a real investigators housr and it went fabulously! Our Zone Leaders referred a family to us, so we went to the appointment in their place. The auntie who answered didn't seem super interested at first, telling us: "Oh, I have my own Bible. My church is ___." We went on to explain what the Book of Mormon is, and how it is a gift that we wanted to share with her, and she completely accepted it after that. She was actually super excited it was in her language AND it was free! Blessings of the true Gospel, am I right?

We continued seeing miracles when I returned to my area on Saturday, as we had kids just walking up to our car window or meeting us on the sidewalks so they could tell us where they live and ask us to teach their families more. What a pure and simple and sweet assurance that what we have is a gift -- something that even children recognize as such.

After a fantastic MLC yesterday, I was able to take away a very key principle. That is: We can always do more and be more of who God needs us to be. I absolutely love serving with this purpose as my focus.

I can't wait for our mothers day skype! What time do you think would be best? Ill send you something to read, I'm excited for you to give your talk! 

Uwa pwapwa❤

Sister Bowen 

Dialogue of Carlmarx, an 8 year old Chuukese boy who walked up to our car window and waited for us to roll it down:
"Hello! How are you?"
"Good."
"What's your name?"
"Carlmarx. C-A-R-L-M-A-R-X."
*found out he has met missionaries before*
"Would you like us to come to your house and teach a lesson?"
"Yes. I live in 29B...Where are you going?"
"Just up the hill to visit some other people."
"Oh. Can I come with you?"
After explaining that we can't take him with us, but promising to visit him another time, he was satisfied, and turned around and ran through the bushes back up to where his house is hahahaha.

With Sister Fifita

With Sister Eberhard

Another Busy Week

This week was another busy week and I continue to fall more and more in love with the people and the area. I feel so lucky to be a missionary for these people. 

We went to the Visitor Center in Laie with our investigator Mercy and her niece. It was quite the adventure not to mention we threw it together in about 15 minutes. 

We also went on exchanges and I was with a new sister, Sister Bedford, and I felt like it was just a few short weeks ago that I was the New missionary on exchanges with a veteran missionary. 

We also ran out of food and money this week so the Lord was kind enough to bless us with a tourist who dropped off all their extra food to us. We were VERY excited to not be eating spaghetti anymore 😉 

This week we went and taught a lesson with the APs and they are so inspiring to me, I loved hearing other missionaries testify knowing I'm a missionary 😊 

We also logged in bout 30 teaching records to our phones and, let me just say I am glad we are done haha. 

Last but not least we have been focusing on studying talks about the Book of Mormon and I continue to have an increased testimony of it, I LOVE THE BOOK OF MORMON. It means so much to me 😊 

Love you and I hope you all have a good week, thank you for your prayers it means so much to know i have so many people praying for me. 😊 

Love 

Sister Bowen 

Busiest week of my mission

Mom and Dad, 

A lot of missionaries have described their missions to me as an emotional, spiritual, and sometimes (it feels like) physical roller coaster. This past week not only proved that statement but surpassed the "busiest week of my mission" which I wrote about a couple of weeks ago. 

This week was miracle after miracle and there where so many divinely designed opportunities.
Monday after our Preparation Day ended at 6, we went to teach one of our investigators who we had set up a lesson with for that day. After knocking and knocking we left feeling disappointed that our lesson had fallen through but decided to make the most of it and visit a lady named Roxina we had seen attend church the week before with a friend who lives next door. After persistently knocking (you tend to have to knock a long time here before people anwser) a man answered the door and after we introduced ourselves ("Ran Allim! Itei Sister Bowen me Sister E, Ifa Usumw?") He excitedly opened the door wide ("Pëchëcun! Pëchëcun! Come!") and invited us in to see his wife. We entered the one room, carpetless apartment with nothing but a single twin size mattress in the corner and a single modest shoe rack and closet. They repetitively apologize for not having a coach we could sit on and mom, dad, and their 6 year old son respectfully sat across from us on the floor and eagerly awaited our message, mind you this is a message we didn't know we would be giving. We thanked them for allowing us in and began to express Heavenly Fathers love for their family. We taught some of the restoration and asked Roxina how she had felt at church. After she expressed how much she had liked it and hoped to keep going back, she mentioned that some of her cousins attended that same Micronesian Branch, and they had told her we were teaching them and they were going to be baptized in a little over a month. The husband turned to his us and asked "can she be baptized with them?" She nodded excitedly in agreement and we were so shocked but we said of course! We talked about how they need to keep attending church and having us teach lessons so they are prepared for baptism, then we closed our miracle lesson with a prayer, said goodbye ("Kinisou chapur! Sipwap Chu!") and left, still stunned at how amazing their family was. I love their family and I love the humble circumstances that bring the spirit so strongly when we teach in their home. Monday night we also found out over the Zone Leader and Sister Training Leader conference call with our mission President that all the missionaries on the island of Oahu would be getting tickets to go to BYU Hawaii to see President Nelson! We were so excited and Sunday finally came around, we drove to Laie, and not only got to sit close and see the prophet speak but listen to Elder Holland and both their wife's. I also saw so many of my missionary friends that I haven't seen in so long because I have been off island, it was all so exhausting but one of the best days I've had in a while. I still cannot believe how blessed I was to be moved back on Island just in time for President Nelson devotional and, in a few weeks, Elder Holland's mission address. 

Wednesday we found a new investigating family by accidentally knocking on the wrong door and when we went back to have Family Home Evening with them, they had 2 members, an inactive member and 2 friends who became new investigators over to have FHE with them and loved our lesson and activity. We hope to continue teaching all of them! 

We went on exchanges with the sisters in the Pearl City area and I got to go spend the day in Pearl City with Sister Ngatuvai, one of Sister Fifitas best friends! He had the best day, knocked so many doors, got fresh avocados, and made a video to send to Sister Fifita. I love being an STL to learn from so many other sisters. Exchanges always inspire me. This particular exchange was especially inspiring because of one of the doors we felt we needed to visit so we PERSISTENTLY knocked and knocked and knocked some more. An older auntie finally heard us, answered and surprised us by telling us she was actually a member. We stood at the door at talked for 2 hours, and she told us all about her conversion story and the missionaries that had taught her. She has an incredible story but to put it short, she had gone to an LDS church one Sunday as a teenager with her friends and one of them asked if she would ever become a Mormon. She laughed and said, "yeah in 13 years." (She said 13 was a superstitious number to her and her friends or something so it basically meant never.) Then years later after she had begun taking the lessons from the missionaries she called and asked if they had written down the exact day they had first knocked on her door. They told her the date and it was exactly, to the day, 13 years after she had very first attended the church. Her story strengthened my testimony and made me laugh a little, the Lord most definitely has a sense of humor. 

There where so many more little miracles all week I cannot write them all down, but I feel so grateful that I am in this area at this time to experience them. 

Lastly I read a talk this week that encouraged me when I needed it and changed the way I look at trials, "2 principles for any economy" by Elder Uchtdorf. He talks about the importance of hard work and the service that hard work is, "Those who are unafraid to roll up their sleeves and lose themselves in the pursuit of worthwhile goals are a blessing to their families, communities, nations, and to the Church." He also talked about how trials are what build us. "It is often in the trial of adversity that we learn those most critical lessons that form our character and shape our destiny." This week was one of the hardest weeks of my mission and there were days my wagon felt more stuck in the mud then ever before in my life but I know my heavenly father is there and I am never alone, "our Savior walked that path alone so you don't have to." I know that is true, I know my Savior knows how we feel and loves us because of it, he will never leave us and he is so proud of who we are becoming as we face our trials trusting in him. Thank you Mom and Dad for teaching me that principle my whole life, I didn't completely understand it until I had to experience it, but for the experience and your example of trusting in him, I will forever be grateful. 

Thank you both so much and I cannot wait to see you on Mothers Day, keep trekking along, I love you ❤ 

Ofa atu,
Sister Bowen 

PS: MY BEAUTIFUL BIRTHDAY PACKAGE THAT U LOVE SO MUCH❤❤❤