I hit my 18 month mark on Friday

This week was fun, I have a couple of stories but first I want to say I can't believe I hit my 18 month mark on Friday. My mission has been the most amazing, hard, rewarding, long, short, and testimony building experience Ive ever had and I have so many mixed feelings about it being over. This week is Zone Conference and Ill be giving my dying testimony in the same exact chapel I gave my greenie testimony in. I attended many Conferences in that same chapel in Waipahu and as I watched missionaries give their last testimonies I always told myself by the time Im pau with my mission and giving my testimony I will have so many insightful things to say, but like Albert Einstein once said, "The more you know, the more you realize you know nothing." Missionary work is so much greater than I think any of us realize. Its Gods work and glory and WE get to be the 1 in a millions that get to be involved in that. I use to think I was very average because I was blonde, born and raised in the church and from Salt Lake City. From a Utah perspective, yes Im much more apart of the majority, but after being in a place like Hawaii for a year and a half, I realize how different we are from the world, and of all the hundreds of thousands of years that could have been born, we were born TODAY because our Heavenly Father knew we would do everything we could to spread the gospel. The world NEEDS us to do missionary work. The father of one of the families I taught and baptized in Maui will often post on Facebook about different his life is and his gratitude for how Jesus Christ has changed his families life. Funny how missionary work does the same thing to the missionary too. 😊 I love this work and I love how much I have changed, I have a testimony of this gospel and what it can do to people because of personal experience. Thank you to everyone that played a part in getting me on a mission, I will never, ever be the same.

On Saturday, we went with the Elders in Waipahu to visit a couple of chuukese families that they are teaching but have a hard time communicating with. How that works, I dont know. As we were walking down the street, late at night, we saw a group of drunk men. Sister Satame and I usually avoid such groups but the elders didn't get the memo. They stopped and started talking to this group and we stood off to the side. Out of nowhere one of the drunk men comes up to Sister Satame and GRABS her head. I immediately wapped his arms off and one of the Elders went between him and Sister Satame and pushed him back. He angrily talked to him, and then we quickly left. "Sorry Sister Satame... does that happen very often?"  Needless to say, we didnt stop to talk to anymore drunk men. 😂 That same evening I met for the first time, an elder who has only been out for 2 weeks. He was called Marshallese speaking and wanted to let me know all about Micronesians. "You say 'Iakwe' to say hello in Marshelles, or 'Ran Allim' in Chuukese, also Micronesians...." Boy did that 2 weeker teach me so much about Micronesians.😂 I wanted to be nice and knew he just felt proud to be a Marshelles elder so I just listened for the 2 hours we walked around visiting people with them. Finally, Elder Jacobs (his companion) couldnt take it anymore. He goes "Did you know Sister Bowen has been working in the Micronesian area for 8 months?" "Oh no way, anyway the Micronesians...." haha he didn't get the memo but its okay I know hes just excited. 😉

Wednesday night, we went to dinner at the Smiths house, who is one of my favorite families in our Branch. After a delicious dinner of fish soup, we shared a message about President Russell M. Nelsons committment to all the Women in General Conference to read the Book of Mormon by the end of the year and then share it with somebody. We started cleaning up our dishes after and Sister Smith says, "Do you want to paint? I bought canvas for everyone!" So then we all painted together! It was the most fun night ever. 😁 I look terrible in the picture because we had spent the whole first part of the day at Pearl Harbor swabbing the deck in the sun haha. That was Elder Fanene, Elder Lidang and my last Pearl Harbor trip which it really sad to think about as I type this. But we all got T-Shirts and took some fun pictures together. I am so glad Im going home with them, they are such a big part of my mission and my life. 😊

We met Sister Satames older sister this week, and they havent seen eachother in over 12 years!! She has super cute kids and she hooked us up with Banana and Octopus, which was super generous. We gave her a Book of Mormon and are going to start teaching her. She also braided Sister Satames hair, Chuukese style, with was cute to watch. 😊

Last, but most definitely not least, the Evingers, a couple from my first area in Ewa Beach that are like my parents away from home, WERE SEALED IN THE TEMPLE THIS WEEK 😄😄😄 Sister Evinger sent me a message this week all about it and I am so happy for them. I love them with all my heart. 😙😄

Im grateful for my mission and for my testimony, I am also grateful for my parents and grandparents that have lovingly helped me to get me to when I am today. I love you!!! ❤

Aloha,
Sista Bowen 🤙🏼