Malo o lelei a ofa a tu!

Every week I tell myself there is no way I could possibly become busier, more exhausted, and more in love with the work here on my mission. 

It has been overwhelming for me to receive messages from many of the less active and active members in my last wards telling me they miss me and commenting on my Facebook posts about how they could see Christ through me. I feel so grateful to them for allowing me to be a part of their testimony, they will never understand how much they have strengthened mine. It reminds me that every area I am placed and every companion I am put with is for a very specific purpose and in the words of Ronald A. Rasband in his talk 'By Divine Design' - "The Lord is in the small details of our lives, and those incidents and opportunities are to prepare us to lift our families and others as we build the kingdom of God on earth." My testimony has been strengthened through my mission and through those I have met in ways I know I could have NEVER had it strengthened, and for that, I will forever be grateful to my Heavenly Father for watching out for me and prompting me to serve a mission. I am also so grateful for you Mom and Dad for being examples to me my whole life of obedience, love of the gospel, trusting in the Lord, and diligence. I would not be where I am now without you both. 

We flew to Honolulu this week for the Mission Leaders Conference and had a great time as always learning from our mission President and brainstorming ideas for this next upcoming year. I am grateful to be apart of such a wonderful mission and to be trusted by our Heavenly father enough to be a sister Training Leader. I am also grateful to be companions with Sister Fifita who taught me this week that even when life throws curve balls at you, you just take it and run because like Dad always says, "I'm going to have to go through this at some point so I might as well go through it now." 

Sister Fifita has taken the rough patches in her life and turned them into amazing things. She is such an inspiration to me and we continue to work together flawlessly. 

I was really disappointed this week when I found out that there are indeed gigantic spiders here on the islands. I watched a cane spider the size of my hand ascended the side of a car we were ascend next to. Sister Fifita refuses to look at pictures I've taken in fear of scrolling acrossed the picture I was able to take of it. 😉

The work is slowly but surely progressing and I love every minute of it. I love you Mom and Dad and tell my siblings their alright too 😉❤ 

Have a good week and I apologize this email came so late, MLC pushed out p-day all the way to today. 

Love you and miss you so much

Sister Bowen