Another Week in Lufkin!

Well we had a good week here in Lufkin!

Monday evening we meet the new Elder in our District, Elder Keller from Logan, Utah. Tuesday we had District meeting. District meeting is where the District gets together and there are calender items discussed about meetings coming up and what needs to be done to prepare for them and other miscellaneous announcements. Then there is a training on a topic of choice either by the district leader or another missionary who has been asked to give a training. This Tuesday we did introductions because of transfers and then we had announcements and then we had a training on Commitments. It went pretty good. It was focused more on our personal commitment to our missions and serving the Lord and how we need to do so diligently and then we discussed how we can help our investigators make those same commitments.There was a lot of really good input from the other missionaries in our district so it turned out good.  

This week we had to do a lot of work on our car. It was weird. One thing led to another. We had a screw in our tire so we took it to one of the Spanish Branch member's tire shop and had it patched then we found out that our front tires were balding in the front and need an alignment so on Wednesday we called our vehicle coordinator and got permission to take it in to be looked at to see if it really did and then they found out that it did and that it also needed an oil change and so we got the oil change on Wednesday and the alignment on Thursday. But I'm just grateful that it's all in good condition and that we have a car to drive!

On Wednesday our ward had their Halloween trunk or treat party. We had been inviting as many people to the activity as we could, especially less actives. And many of them came to it. It was a great turn out. Many of the people we invited came and also many of the ward's friends came as well. We visited with as many people as we could and we received a referral from a family in the ward who invited their friends. We met them at the activity and then got their contact information. They speak better Spanish than English so we are passing the referral on to the Spanish missionaries but it was great to see the ward inviting their friends to come and participate in activities at the church. Being a member missionary is so much easier than we make it to be. Its making friends and inviting them to activities and then things naturally progress and they eventually meet with missionaries. 

On Thursday we couldn't go out and proselyte after five because of Halloween and so President Durrant told us all to meet with our Zones and celebrate the mission wide goal we reached. Well our zone is a bit more spread out so we got permission from our zone leaders to do it with our district and the Nacodouscheous (I'm pretty sure this is a Spanish word that Drew didn't know how to spell and I'm not going to attempt to correct it.) District. And so we asked a really awesome friendly and generous family in our ward if we could do it at their house. And they said yes and were super excited to have us over. They are in charge of institute too and so they invited institute to the party and it was a blast. We wore normal clothes and played soccer and frisbee and visited and ate food and played pool and ping pong. It was a really fun Halloween and I was glad because usually holidays are.... not as much of a party just a lot of people who are partying and you can't. So it was amazing!

Also this past week our ward held a choir performance at the church on Saturday and Sunday night called Woman at the Well. It was a musical performance about stories of women's interaction with the Savior in the Bible. There was a really big push for the ward to invite friends and family and we had a great turn out. We invited many people as well and some of them came as well. It was a beautiful musical program and the spirit was so strong. It reminded me of singing in the Cumorah's Hill Book of Mormon contada thing we did for choir tour once. It was a great opportunity for us to visit with the people who came and we were ushers for it so we welcomed everyone and gave them a program and a picture of Christ in the red robe. It was awesome.

Lin came to Sacrament meeting yesterday and he stayed for gospel principles as well. He left after that though. He said "I think I've had enough after 2 hrs." that was sad. We invited him to stay for the last hour but he wouldn't. So that was unfortunate. He has struggled with coming to church and staying for all of it. The entire time of sacrament meeting I was just praying that he would feel the spirit and have a good experience. Then in gospel principles the lesson was on the word of wisdom so that didn't help him too much but the spirit was there.

Too many people in the world think of church as entertainment or as a place where we worship but then the way they worship is really just entertainment. It's crazy. There are so many churches here who just entertain and then have a bible study class and say you're saved for coming and agreeing. That's not how Christ's church works. His church fills us spiritually. It takes time for people to notice they are starving or aren't getting there fill but the food is here and only in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will people find the fullness of the gospel and be able to be filled. 

We didn't have a lesson with Lin this week because he went out of town unexpectedly on Saturday and had to reschedule. We asked him if he was reading though and he said that he was and that he has some questions about what he has read. So that is good. We are working on getting him more friendshipping this week to help him have a better experience at church. So that he will want to stay for all of church and enjoy it.

Savannah came to the wards Halloween party with the bishops son Trice. It was great! She had a fun time and we visited with her about her reading in the Book of Mormon and she was already in Second Nephi! And she understands what she is reading too. She was sick on Sunday so she wasn't able to come to church or the choirs performance. We also had to reschedule our lesson on Sunday with her so we are looking forward to that.

Love y'all!

Love your missionary Elder Drew Bowen