Aloha and sipwap chu

Aloha Dad :)

You know, after living on my own for a while I appreciate all you did around the house and everything you fixed more. I tried to fix a single broken blind in our apartment with super glue and lets just say I just really miss all your smarts when it comes to being a Jack of All Trades hahahaha. Yes the blind is still broken, but it's a work in progress ;)

DONT GIVE UP ON SMOKING!!!! (Never thought I'd say that as a missionary...;)) I want to smoke things with you when I get home! You'll just keep getting better and better, besides the turkey legs at Disneyland are probably fake. I haven't really heard about all the things you have tried, I think that is awesome that we tried it. I know a lot of great Hawaiian recipes that would work great in there. Maybe try a pineapple, you can never go wrong with pineapple. ;)  Keep doing it, I want to smoke with you, don't worry you have lots of practice time.

Today is Sister Eberhard last day as a missionary, we got transfer news on Saturday and I will be staying in Honolulu (#blessed) and training a new STL, Sister Paletesala. She is Samoan and straight from Samoa, Elder Lidang said she is awesome and she has only be baptized for I think a year! She was trained on Big Island and this will be her first time coming to Oahu. We also are downsizing A LOT because so many missionaries are leaving. By the end of the summer we will have -9 from before and a lot of missionaries have been going home early. We are now STLs over 3 zones instead of 2 and so we now have 6 companionships to exchange with this transfer. It'll be very busy but that's just how I like it. :) They also opened up the island of Kauai to Sisters!!!!! They have been talking about sending sisters to Kauai for 4 years! I am happy for the sisters going and hope they don't have any problems, they are the only sisters on the whole island. They will be well taken care of though, the members have been wanting sisters on island for a long time ;)

This week I saw that Elder Jacob Reading came home from his mission and I am so proud of him. He is such a good example to me.😊

One of the highlights of this past week is our investigator Mercy was baptized! She is Chuukese and very smart. We have been teaching her for about 3 months and she made amazing progress and was reading the Book of Mormon (which is very rare even for our active micronesian members)! She kept saying how happy she was and genuinley understands how important the gospel and baptism is for her life. She is amazing.😄

The other noteable highlight of this week was when the Bendixens tooks us to Breakfast at Liliha Bakery which is A*M*A*Z*I*N*G. I had the best french toast Ive ever had in my life there and I cant wait for you to try it someday❤😋.

The ending of this last transfer has been very different from all the other transfers I have had so far because now all the missionaries leaving are friends I know very well and love. All of the pictures in the 'A Hui ho' (Goodbye Newsletter) are friends of mine, not just missionaries that have been out forever that Ive never met. Its made me sad to hear their dying testimonies and realize that after we end our missions, the mission keeps moving along without us. What I have right now is priceless and will never be the same again. Ive noticed and loved the little things more because of it all. I loved spontaneously playing volleyball with some kids on the road, and I loved when one of the missionaries said over the phone in the middle of our conversation, "...Oh its a person, Im going to talk to them" *hangs up*. I loved being invited to a Tongan feast, pig and all, and then walking 30 minutes to our 2nd dinner appointment on 'Car Fast Friday'. I loved seeing how proud Mercy was to wear stacks of leis after her baptism and I loved sitting on the floor making those homemade plumeria leis with the Bendixens and eating pizza. I loved listening to a 60 year old Kosraen Man sing a 20 minute song to Sister Eberhard because she was leaving, and I loved laughing with Elder Lidang about EVERYTHING. I loved listening to talks by Elder Holland in the car, I loved how perfect the sky was last night, and above all I loved watching our 5 little Palolo kids recite the 10 commandments and describe the vision of the tree of life with so much excitement about what they have learned. Everyday is a day given to us by God to love life and eachother. Men truly are so they might have joy. I am beyond grateful for my mission, my family, every single day, and for my Savior who has given me the chance to be happy and experience the blessings of a righteous, obedient life, despite how many times I have fallen short.

I love you so much Dad, thanks for all you have always done for me
Aloha and sipwap chu,
Sister Bowen

1 - ❤

2 - Liliha bakery 

3 - making leis 

4 - Done leis 

5 - Mercys Baptism 

6 - Our recent converts the Ansers 

7 - The sky ❤

8 - Queen Liliokalanis Palace, King Kamehamehas Courthouse, and rolled ice cream 😊😊