Transfers

September 29, 2014

Well it has been another 6 weeks in Plano meaning that the transfer ended and calls were made. We got a call Sunday night letting me know that I'm going to be transferred to Frisco and will be serving in the 4th ward and YSA as a Zone leader there. I'm really excited to be able to serve there once again! It's going to be great! I'm going to miss Plano though! It's been fantastic! I have loved the members here and the missionaries and investigators! I'll be close enough to come back for N.'s baptism when that comes up!

We had a Miracle find these past weeks! M. and M.  M. is a member of the church who joined 2 years ago in Washington DC. It's M.'s cousin that invited us in and we are now teaching them. They are from Africa and just starting a life here in the US. They came to church and it was wonderful to have them there and here M. singing! We had to find them a ride but the Lord provided for that!

We had a lot of meetings this week with our mission president and it was great to see previous companions and be able to learn more about how we can better work in our areas. I just love being a missionary! It's the best ever! I have been so blessed from being here and teaching others of the gospel. My understanding of the gospel has deepened and my love and testimony of the Savior and His church have grown as well! 

A Great Day at Church

September 22, 2014

This past week was great! Best and Greatest news of the week is that N. came to church! He loved it! He came with his quad, in his suit coat and suit vest and Khaki's. He looked really sharp. We had multiple people say after church were y'all in a tri companion ship today? or was that an investigator? He loved how friendly people were at church. He said that he met more people coming to our church than he ever has at any other church he has been to. That's a great compliment to the Plano 9th ward members! We have one of the best wards. People are always introducing themselves to our investigators! Makes a world of a difference! 

I am amazed with how involved he is in everything! It's great to be able to teach him. We met with him on Saturday and we talked about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We answered some questions he had about it. I think he just wanted to make sure he fully understood the principle of repentance because so many people think of it as only asking for forgiveness. He asked if we repented right on the spot or only on a set day or when we pray. We told him about how it's a process. We start right at the moment when we do something wrong by recognizing that we did wrong and then we  stop doing wrong, make restitution, ask for forgivness  and forsake it. He told us that when he grew up in the Jewish beliefs they only repented once a year. He said that he now repents everyday. And that he liked that we need to forsake our sins. I'm excited to meet with him again this upcoming Saturday!

We went on exchanges with our distict leader of the Plano East district. It just so happened to be Elder Koenen! (Former companion in Lufkin). It was great to be able to serve with him in the same area for a day again. It's great that such a great friend of mine keeps serving in close by areas! We had a great day catching up on everything and talking about missionary work! We even taught a lesson. It was a nice lady named D. and her friend, L. who have done geneology work at the library in Salt Lake City with the church. They have both caught the spirit of Elijah as they have found their kindred dead and learned of them. One of them is a convert from Christianity to Judahism and her friend is a good Christian. We are going to be going back this week to talk more about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith because L. doesn't know how they fit into everything. We are looking forward to it!

We also saw H. this week. We read with him again and his friend Bro.  H. commended us on how much we have helped him out. So he is making slow progress but he is moving along.

We will be meeting with T. this week and hopefully they will all be able to come to church again. 

Those were the greatest highlights for us this week. 

I feel extremely blessed to be able to serve with Elder Briggs who is always fun to be around and to be able to touch the lives of so many others here as they touch mine! I hope y'all have a great week!

I love y'all!

Your missionary,

Elder Drew Bowen

Another Fantastic Week in Plano!

September 15, 2014

This past week has been great! We went on exchanges with the Plano first ward on Tuesday. I worked with Elder Evans in his area. We did service during the afternoon. It had come up the day before. We had dinner with one of their investigator families. H. and C. and we shared a Family Proclamation to the World with them. They loved it and hung up the framed copy Elder Evans gave them before we left. They fed us Indian food and my mouth was on fire! It was good but spicy.

Elder Briggs and Elder Evans both were a little sick durring the week but still worked hard - to the best of their abilities. They are over the worst part of a sore throats and feeling awful. I'm probably going to be next but hopefully not!

On Wednesday, Elder Briggs and I visited H. We read in the Book of Mormon with him in 1 Nephi chapters 10-11. He asked really good questions and loves reading in it. We invited him to stake conference but he didn't come.

We taught T. and her daughters the restoration! It went great! They all commited to read from the Book of Mormon as a family! They didn't make it to stake conference this week. They all enjoyed church when they did come. They will probably be at church this up coming Sunday.

We also meet with N. and scheduled a baptismal date for the 11th of October! He is really prepared for the gospel! It's incredible! He loves the Book of Mormon and shared his written testimony with us. We taught him the Gospel of Jesus Christ and he understood all of it. Some truly are kept from the truth only because they know not where to find it.

The Lord's work is moving forward in the 9th ward and it is a blessing to be able to be a part of it!

Love y'all and hope y'all have a great week!

Love ya!

Elder Drew Bowen

A Miracle Find in Plano!

September 8, 2014

This week was great! This week we found a miracle! We were knocking doors in an apartment complex and a 16 year old boy came walking down the hall way with scriptures in his hand. He asked if we were missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He said he moved to the complex just recently and had been meeting with the Plano 4th ward elders. (They were trying to schedule a time for us to have a hand off lesson and introduce us to each other) We then asked "Are you N.?" and he said yes and we introduced ourselves. He said, "I just finished the book of 2 Nephi and I'm going to start the next one." He said that he is working towards baptism and would like to meet with us on Saturday and come to church! He told us that he was praying that he would be able to get in contact with the missionaries again and then he saw us walking through his apartment complex! So we are going to be teaching him! And most likely we will set a baptismal date in our next lesson!

We went on exchange with the 4th ward elders. I worked with Elder Myers in the 4th ward. It was a good exchange! I was really hoping we would be able to find a new investigator in their area and the Lord saw fit to bless us with someone to teach. Tuesday evening we went to an apartment complex and began going door to door. A man answered and invited us in. He and a friend of his were reading in the bible and we had a great first lesson! I hope and pray that he will keep his return appointment.

T. and her daughters came to the last 2 hours of church on Sunday! They really enjoyed being there. We were unable to meet with their family last week but we will be meeting with them sometime this week! 

Also Bishop H. held a pot luck and asked us to invite our investigator H. to come. He really enjoyed being able to be there and many members of the ward reached out and introduced themselves and got to know him better. It sounded like H. was really enjoying it! We will be meeting with H. again this week and are excited to be able to teach him more. 

We also meet with J. again! He is really funny. And always making jokes but he is understanding what we teach and we finished the Plan of Salvation! 

The Lord keeps His work moving on. It will continue to go forward and bless the lives of all of His children!

I love y'all! Have a great week!

Love your missionary,

Elder Drew Bowen

Here are some pictures from our temple trip a couple of weeks ago.

The Work Goes On!

September 1, 2014

This past week the work has continued to move forward. We met with T. on short notice. Thankfully the B. family has an open schedule to help us out. We had a great lesson with her about keeping the Sabbath day holy. The B.'s help was tremendous as they made it so that it was possible for us to be there and their testimonies invited the spirit into her little apartment. She, as most do, had a general understanding of things that are and are not appropiate for Sunday. We helped her understand it in full though and invited her to live it. We also talked about her 4 girls taking part in the lessons also. She said that she would like them to be here for it and we are going to be teaching her whole family on Tuesday! 

We helped H. out this week and read with him in the Book of Mormon! We picked up some furniture with him and laid some decorative rocks around his drive way. I love helping him out! Service is such a good thing! It always lifts one's heart and makes one feel as though they have done good in the world for others. As we read in the Book of Mormon peace came into his home. Unfortunatly he wasn't able to be at church because he had spinkler problems. 

Elder Briggs and I are still looking for those that are ready and are trying to find them. This past week we didn't see to much fruit come from our efforts yet but we will this next week! Although we did find a potental investigator! :) 

We had mission leadership council with President Taylor! I love that meeting! We always have the best discussions there! We also went on exchanges with the assistants! I love our assistants to the President! They are the best missionaries around!  

I hope y'all have a great week and a happy labor day! 

Love y'all!

Love your missionary,

Elder Drew Bowen   

Week 1 with Elder Briggs

August 25, 2014

This past week has been great! 

On Tuesday we taught H. and then went over to East Plano to give a baptism interview to an investigator in the 7th ward. It was a fantastic interview! I love being able to take part in baptism interviews. I didn't realize how spiritual and uplifting they are. In the interview I asked A. (the investigator) what his story was of finding the church. He spoke of the misisonaries knocking on his door and always ignoring it until the time when he had broken his leg. It was a hard time for him because he lost friends and his life started to slide down hill. He talked about the sister missionaries he met when he opened the door that day and how they gave him a card with the Elder's phone number on it. They told him to call them. He remembered when he lived in Mexico as a kid finding a Book of Mormon but not being able to read it and wanting to know what was in it.  He called them that Sunday when they were in church and asked for them to come by and left his number and info. They got in contact with him, he read the Book of Mormon and overcame addictions he had. The motivation to overcome past addictions were simple and yet powerful. 1. To be happy 2. To be able to give his future wife and children what he didn't have. The gospel does just that! It makes us happy and blesses our families. What we do effects everyone around us especially our families! 

We attended A.'s baptism on Saturday! It was wonderful to be able to see him make covenants with the Lord and be baptized for the remission of sins. 

We met with J. this week. We had dinner and taught the Plan of Salvation. It was great! He has a weird work schedule so he will come to church in 3 or 4 weeks when he gets moved to a new schedule. 

We taught T. this week! We taught her about how studying the scriptures is a commandment along with prayer. We invited her to have nightly family prayer and scripture study. She didn't make it to church due to getting her 4 girls ready for school on Monday.

Elder Briggs is great! He is fun and has a great personality. I feel like we have really similar personalities. We get along great! 

I love y'all and hope y'all have a great week!

Love your missionary,

Elder Drew Bowen

A. & Elder Fackrell

Elders Briggs & Bowen!

Crazy Week

August 18, 2014

Well this has been a crazy week but a good one.

We went to the temple last week so our prep. day is shortened and I have no time. But we have transfer news. Elder Reid is getting transfered to South Dallas and I'm staying. My new comp is going to be Elder Briggs. I'v never meet him before, but I'm excited! 

Love y'all!

Week of Fun

August 11, 2014

This week was really good and really fun!

 

We went on exchanges on Tuesday so I went with our chinese missionary Elder Lee. We had dinner with a Hindu family. It was the best Indian food I have ever had!  We had a great lesson there about the temple and I loved being able to get to know them. With Elder Lee we got Happy Hour at Sonic on our way to a lesson and ate at an Asian place. It was a good day!

We taught T. with a family from South Africa! It went great having them there. To be honest we were a little suspicious of inviting them at first but they got along great! You can always trust the Ward Council to tell you of a good fellowshiper for an investigator. After all they know everyone better than we do and the bishop has the keys. We talked about her baptismal date and how she is going to have to make some big steps to be able to be ready for it. She likes drinking wine on occasion and tea but she said she would work on it. She is making progress though. We have seen her faith grow a little each time and she really does want to get baptized. We are hoping to get her to church this Sunday with her girls.

We had a great lesson with J. at a member's home yesterday! We taught him the Restoration and specifically the apostasy. He is really starting to understand. I'm really surprised because he loves being the center of attention and making jokes all the time but he really is learning. Yesterday he said that he didn't understand why God is known to be merciful but does things like flooding the earth and killing so many people. As we told him about the bigger picture things got more clear. We told him of the spirit world and how God was really just bringing them back home to teach them there and how that wasn't the end for those people. He said, "Ok well that makes a whole lot more sense!" We are going to meet with him again on Saturday and have a lesson and dinner because he loves food. His 2 daughters are out of town curently at there mom's place but Elder Reid and I can see him coming to church with his daughters sometime soon. We are planning on inviting him to be baptized during our lesson on Saturday!

H. didn't make it to church and said he really wanted to be there. Elder Reid had a lesson with him on Tuesday night with a great member in the ward who we didn't know very well. It went great from what I heard. H. is starting to gain a testimony and has started to love the Book of Mormon. He asked us where he could get a quad set of scriptures at too. He asked for 4 copies of the Book of Mormon to give them to the Rabbi's he does a Bible study with at a Messianic Jewish synagoge if they will accept them and said he would ask them if we could share the Restoration with them. The Spirit has been working in his life. It's incredible!

 

Being a missionary is fun! We get to walk the streets going door to door and meeting all kinds of people and then the miracles take place in our lives and in the lives of others! Teaching people is the most fun! You get to see them grow and change, start to understand and then even start to love it!

 

It's something to be loved. There is no greater news than that of the gospel! It isn't something we do; it's who we are! The difference it makes is incredible as it carries us to a higher quality of life filled with peace, love, hope and eternal blessings of Joy!

I love y'all! Have a great week!

 

Love your missionary,

Elder Drew Bowen

When One Door Closes, Another Opens

August 4, 2014

This past week has been great and busy.

We meet with S. on Tuesday. That is when he told us that he is currently on probation. We feel that there has been a misunderstanding about the process for him to be baptized. He told us on Saturday that he is not going to be meeting with us. We have gotten in touch with his father and talked about the situation. When he is ready they will involve us again but until then it is in the Lord's hands and in His timing. 

We meet with H. on Tuesday and read in the Book of Mormon with him. He came to church on Sunday! It was a miracle! He stayed for all 3 hours too! At church he was welcomed in a way unseen by most. Multiple families welcomed him, including some who met him at the BBQ. A family in the ward realized that their daughter knows his son and that he had visited with their daughter when he was younger. A ward member even knew his dog, CC and said it was nice to meet him and that they lived in the same neighborhood. After church we asked him how he enjoyed church. He said he felt welcomed and at peace during the meetings but that he didn't want to hurt our feelings or reputation if he didn't join the church. 

Later on that evening we were driving through his neighborhood on our way to an appointment and we saw him looking at some furniture on the side of the road. We asked if he needed any help and then got to talk to him more about his feelings of church. He felt the spirit and seemed to be confused because of it all. He is probably wondering how he being Jewish could feel such peace and welcoming love at church. We will be meeting again on Tuesday.

We found T. and B. We meet with them on Thursday and answered many of B.'s questions. He has heard all the common rumors. We were walking the fine line of not bashing and having a intense conversation. Towards the end or it T. asked some really sincere questions. So we have a return appointment. They have 3 young kids. We are hoping and praying that they will be open to accepting the restored gospel.

We also had a 9 o'clock miracle. We knocked on J.'s door in an apartment complex and he was just talking to his wife and family asking why God doesn't answer prayers. What a beautiful opportunity it was to be able to teach of prayer. We also have a return appointment with them. 

It just goes to show that when one door closes another path is provided for us. Of course the Lord will still work with S. and all others who have met with us for a time period. He works with all of His children. He guides us to those who are ready to work towards baptism according to His will and timing. It requires patience on our part and continued faith, hope and charity, but in the end we are guided by the Lord's hand and molded by the path He leads us on. 

Love y'all! Hope you have a great week and a great trip to Lake Powell! Take pictures and try to have as much fun as a missionary! Good luck with that because this is hard to beat. Love y'all!

Love your missionary,

Elder Drew Bowen  

Mission Leadership Council with President & Sister Taylor

Drew's Zone

Drew's Zone being funny.

Elder's in the Zone selfie style!

Plano!

July 28,2014

This past week has been great!

We taught S. twice this week. We also scheduled a baptismal date for the 8th of August! I'm very excited for him! There is so much in store for him! We have taught him the first three lessons and he is progressing very rapidly toward his baptism. He has great support from his father which is helping him to feel comfortable at church and helping with a smooth transition. We have also had great help from our ward missionaries in teaching. Our teaching is simply to make sure he is completely ready even though he already knows everything. Just proves once again that this is the Lord's work. We didn't do anything to make this happen, the Lord did.

The Plano 9th ward is doing great! The ward council and ward mission truly are starting to become one with us in our purpose of helping others to receive the restored gospel. In ward council we had a great discussion about our recent convert K. and how the ward can help her. I feel as though the ward will be excellent at helping her with staying in the church. It's really neat to be able to see how the church operates. It truly is amazing! 

We had a BBQ with the ward where we had 2 of our investigators in attendance. It was great to have them there. The ward reached out to them and helped them feel welcome. Things in our area are great.

Tonight we are going to be helping the 4th ward in their area. They found a miracle baptismal date couple! We are excited for them. They are hard working missionaries they just have been having a hard time finding people to teach. So hopefully we will be able to help them out!

This is the Lord's work! This is His church upon the earth. All that was lost is restored. And because of that it makes a tremendous difference in this life. We can make it through the hard times because of what the Savior has done for us. We are never alone.

I love y'all!

Love your missionary,

Elder Drew Bowen

Miracles in the Lord's Work

July 21, 2014

This past week has been Miraculous!

Yesterday at church we had a great sacrament meeting and at the conclusion of the meeting the person sitting behind us tapped my companion on the sholder and introduced himself as D., a member of a Cross Roads Ward. He then introduced us to his son S. by saying, "This is my son S. (Age 24) who wants to get baptized." We told them that we could help them out with that and scheduled an appointment for this up coming Tuesday. We brought him to the Gospel Principles class and got to know him a little better. He has taught himself how to fluently speak 5 languages, half of them being dead languages. He is also a semi-professional musician and is currently working for Visa credit cards providing them with high tech identity theft protection for their world wide industry. In other words this man is incredibly intelligent. In Elders Quorum the lesson was on the Holy Ghost. During part of the lesson it spoke of how a person may have the spirt caome and manifest itself unto them and then withdraw. He spoke in the class of how he has had that exact thing happen. A year ago he clearly heard a voice tell him that all the churches on the earth were lacking truth but that he was to be baptized in "the Mormon church" because of the way we baptize. He then spoke of how no other church has athourity except ours and that he intends to be baptized and go to the Salt Lake Temple to do baptisms for the dead, to heed the voice of the spirit.  S. has been taught the missionary lessons twice and we are going to go over them once again simply to make sure he clearly understands the doctrine and is willing to live it. We feel that we will go through the lessons very quickly possibly in one or two visits. He wants to be baptized as soon as possible and we feel that he will be able to be baptized on the 2nd of August or the 9th. This truly is a miracle and a witness that this is the Lord's work and He is preparing His children and gathering them in.

We also taught many lessons with members. We have a great fellowshiping family for our investigator T. and they have helped us to be able to visit her. We have had a great lesson on faith and she has started to read in the Book of Mormon. She is struggling to make it to church. She always seems to have something come up. But we are continuing to work with her.

We met with D. this week with a ward missionary. He has not been keeping commitments to read in the Book of Mormon though. He is not progressing and we are going to have to direct our focus elsewhere. It makes me sad that we won't be able to see him as much. It really is an act of faith to delay an investigator you love. But if he starts to make changes soon then we will be able to  help him out more. However, the ward missionary we introduced him to lives on the same street as him and will continue to reach out to him. He is in good hands.

We had another miracle with the C. family! We had spoken to them about possibly meeting on Saturday. Saturday came around though and they hadn't gotten in touch with us and confirmed a time for us to come by. They called us at 1:20 PM and asked if we were coming by. They told us that they only had untill 2:15 pm to visit with us so we told them we would be there as soon as possible. We got in our car and drove from the sotheren portion of our area to the northern with only needing to stop at 1 red light which was changing as we got to it. We made it to their home in record time and a record of green lights in a row. It sure is incredible how the Lord can get you somewhere so quickly when He needs you there. We read 2 chapters in the Book of Mormon with them from the begining of Mosiah and the lesson went great!

We went on exchanges on Tuesday with our district leader Elder Evans! Things went great! As we were tracting we met a man who was on his way out but had spoken to missionaries a few days before meeting us. He had met them at Chick Fil A and had given them his info. He thought we had recieved his info from them so he was expecting us. He scheduled a time to meet with us and gave us his info and we taught him on Sunday. He asked questions about the Plan of Salvation and we were able to come to a good level of understanding. Elder Evans and I also taught our investigator H. later in the evening. We talked about faith and invited him to be baptized. He said he wasn't ready for that yet but that he would come to church on Sunday. (which didn't happen due to his air conditioning unit leaking through his living room ceiling and his landlord scheduling the emergancy technition to come durig our church services.)

Things have been great in the Plano 9th ward! The Lord's work truly is being Hastened in its time. It is His work and He oversees all that takes place! We are serving along side Him, in His vineyard. As we become one with Him in His work we see the miracles take place! I am amazed at the things that have taken place that attest once again to the Divinity of His work!

 

This is His work and it is moving onward! The restored gospel of Jesus Christ is spreading abroad, touching the hearts of the honest seeker of truth everywhere! Jesus is the Living Christ and is the corner stone of His church as he leads, guides and directs it through His apostles and prophets! What a blessing it is to live in the long promised dispensation of the fullness of times!

 

Much love,

 

Elder Drew Bowen 

Another Great Week!

July 14, 2014

This past week was great!

 

So Elder Reid and I decided to try getting up early so we could have a little more time in the mornings. So we got up early every day this past week and we gave ourselves more time to work out. Elder Reid played football in high school so he knows all the football weight lifts so we did some. Let's just say it was a building experience for me. I haven't done to much weight lifting in my life because I just always ran or did push ups or crunches. Well I think I can honestly say I have never been more sore in my life from a 20 min work out! I'm pretty sure people thought I was an 80 year old when I was getting in and out of the car all week! But we were still able to do our work we just looked really funny because we could barely walk some days. That was probably the funniest thing that happened this past week. But we are much more fit from it all.

We were working in an apratment complex this past Saturday and a man walked up to us and said, "Hey are y'all mormons?" and we said yes. He then told us that he was Jewish but that he had a friend in California who was indoctrinating him who was a member of the church. He also said he was planning on getting baptized by his friend and asked where our meeting house was! I was shocked that he knew so much and was Jewish!  He also said that he is trying to convince his family to do the same and gave us his phone number to get in touch with him this week! Just goes to show what can happen when you have a friend for your investigators! He is living in our area temporarily but said he would love to have us come by to talk to him and his wife. It was a miracle.

We also got a referral from a member in the Allen 4th ward for a friend of theirs but they only had her address. They had spoken with their friend and asked if she would be willing to have us come by and share a message with them about the church and they said yes. So we went by and a man answered the door. We told him who we were and that K. had said she would be interested in us coming by. The man said she isn't interested and closed the door with out giving us time to say anything. As we were walking away a lady came out and called out to us. She said, "I'm K., sorry about my husband. I'm not feeling well today but are you the missionaries?" We said yes and she said, "Well I would love to talk to you guys some time.  Here's my number and I'm off work all week next week." So we will also be getting in touch with her this week to teach her. 

We also taught D. this past week. We feel that the Spirit is really starting to work on him and that he is starting to understand our message. He read a little from the Book of Mormon. He also asked us some really good questions and we were able to answer them for him. We have an appointment with him this week and we will be going with a member of the ward who lives on his same street.

We talked to 200 people this week! I think that is a personal record for me on my mission. We also taught some of our other investigators. And I just want y'all to know that I have one of the best companions Ever! Elder Reid is the best! He is always making me laugh and we always have a good time together as we work together!   

Well I love y'all and hope y'all have a great week!

Love your missionary,

Elder Drew Bowen

New Mission President, Same Work

July 7, 2014

This week we met President Taylor!

 

It was so good to meet him and his family! He shared his vision that we should all have for the mission. The spirit truly was poured out in the meetings this past week that we had with him! He is an incredible man! He came in talking about how President Durrant is his hero and had us all share one thing that we learned from the Durrants! I love the Taylors! At Mission Leadership Council when we first met them they were so warm and loving! They have a fantastic spirit about them! And Sister Taylor made lunch for all of the missionary leaders! It was way good! Elder Reid says that this is why I love them so much but he is only partially correct! President Taylor's vision for the mission is for us to all be one. One with Christ, one with our companions, mission and members! I'm excited to be able to get to know him better and continue learning from him and Sister Taylor. The Lord chooses the best mission presidents for the Texas Dallas Mission.

This week we had some miracles happen! First off we met with a Hindu couple who have been letting us come over for the past little while and we had a great lesson with them! We studied in Preach My Gospel beforehand about teaching others who do not have a Christian background and then made a lesson plan for them. We noticed that in Preach My Gospel it mentions 2 or 3 times about having a member friend present. So we invited someone who we thought would be a good friend for them at church to come with us. The member helped so much! He bore a beautiful testimony at the end of the lesson and during as well! F. and V. seemed to enjoy having him there. V. even said the opening prayer for us! It was her first time! We showed them the Restoration DVD which was not what we planned but that was how we felt things should go. We talked to them about how important it is to read the Book of Mormon, pray, and attend church. We invited them to come next Sunday and they told us why they haven't ever come. They don't have a car but they said that they would like to come! We told them that we would help them out with the ride. I feel that they are starting to progress and recognize the spirt.

We also meet with our recent convert K. and talked to her about us going over the new member lessons. She is still solid and we have arranged to see her every Sunday to teach her the new member lessons and answer any questions she may have.

We met with K. who is a convert from last year. We finished teaching him the last new member lesson officially yesterday. We will be working on getting him a calling in the church to be sure he has a responsibility in the ward.

We found a new investigator who we are hoping is as open as he says he is. He studied theology and is currently attending a bible church close by. We gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon and answered some of his questions. We will see where things go with our next visit.

We had a good lesson with T. this week. She was going to come to church but was late getting everyone ready in her family to come so she didn't make it. We are going to be meeting with her again this week and we feel that she is going to make it to church one of these days soon. She knows it's what she should do so it's just a matter of time.

Last of all we had a wonderful miracle with an investigator of ours who has been out of town recently, B. and M. We gave her a phone call and she said that she had missed seeing us and coming to church! She told us that she has been reading almost everyday in the Book of Mormon and that she is excited to be back in town and to come to church again! We are going to help her grandmother move in with her and her boyfriend this week and then teach them all a lesson again! She has seen the difference that the gospel makes in our lives and felt the Spirit as she reads. They will be ready for baptism in a little while with how things have been going for them.

The Lord's work truly is being hastened! He is working in the Plano 9th ward and bringing to pass His work! It's amazing to be able to be a part of it! Brings the greatest happiness ever! 

I love y'all so much! Keep on singing "the song of redeeming love!" (Alma 5:26) It is a beautiful song to sing! Love y'all!

 

Love your missionary,

Elder Drew Bowen

A Baptism in Plano!

June 30, 2014

This past week was wonderful! K. got baptized!

We met K. as we were knocking doors in her apartment complex. We spoke with her at her door step for a while and invited her to church. When we had met her she had bounced around to a variety of world religions, Buddhist, Hindu, Catholic and others. She is a 16 year old girl whose mother is catholic and asked us to get her back into Christianity. Well K. came to church the following day to our great surprise and was a golden investigator since that time. She was surprised to see how many of the youth were in some of her same classes at Plano West Senior High. The youth reached out to her and played a key role in her conversion. We had help from a family in the ward for many of the lessons and taught in their home many times as well as much help from others in the ward. K. attended girls camp with the Plano Stake the week of her baptism where she had the opportunity to be a youth camp leader. Her first experience at girls camp and she was a YCL! She had a great time and returned home the day before her baptism.

At her baptismal service the room was packed! There were over 60 people who came to support her from girls camp, the ward and non-member friends she invited. The service went great! We started a little late because people were still coming in. Also because K. went outside to help a friend find the entrance. Everything was just beautiful! We started by singing the primary song "When I am baptized"! I love that song and it reminded me of my baptism too!  There was a talk given on baptism by one of the young women and then she was baptized by Bishop H.! Everything went smoothly and Elder Reid and I had the opportunity to be witnesses for her baptism! She bore a great testimony about her decision to be baptized and how girls camp helped her to feel completely ready for it. Specifically how the testimony meeting really confirmed it all for her and helped her know that yes she should be baptized and that she was ready! Girls camp really does work miracles! 

Her mother R. spoke with the Plano 2nd Branch Elders and gave them her phone number. She feels more comfortable with Spanish than English. We feel that she too will follow in her daughters footsteps. We feel that she is prepared as well, especially from an experience we had with her when we were teaching K. R. listened as we read a verse in the Book of Mormon and mentioned how beautiful it sounded. We then gave her a copy in English and Spanish. We look forward to hearing how things go for her when they start teaching her. K. will be a great strength to the church, her family and her friends. She has the best foundation we could really give her for her start in the gospel. She has the support of her mother, friends in young women's, the ward and the gift of the Holy Ghost. Elder Reid and I feel it a great privilege to be able to take part in her conversion and look forward to seeing and hearing of the many great things that she will bring to pass in the future.

We went on exchange with the Plano 1st Ward Elders. They also cover the Chinese group. We felt it would be good to go with them. During the exchange I worked with Elder Lee in the 9th ward. Our day went great! We taught a lesson to a family that has recently returned to activity and to one of our investigators. Elder Lee taught very well and followed promptings of the spirit. During our lesson to the H. family (returning to activity members) he extended a invitation to Bro. H. that was suited perfectly for his needs. It was that he would have a spiritual experience with fasting. It was very inspired.  

During our companionship study we studied about leadership. I told Elder Lee that he was a leader in the mission, even though he isn't a senior companion, district leader or zone leader. At first he disagreed but after I reminded him that he was one of our only Chinese speaking missionaries he began to see that he truly is. We spoke of how important it is to be an example when one is a leader and how we need to be an example in obedience as well. I invited him to be the best missionary that he could be. He is such a good Elder! I really enjoyed being able to work with him!

I love being a missionary! Miracles happen all the time! Last night we went to a member family home to share a brief message. It was on miracles and we talked about how we never know when the people around us are ready for the gospel. That got them thinking and they thought of a friend they have and decided that they should give him a call and see if he is home for us to go visit him. He was and so they took us on over. He was very friendly and had spoken with missionaries in the past. We got into a great gospel discussion and gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon. We are going to be going back July 13th! We were all really surprised at it all!

This is the Lord's work not ours. That's why it keeps on moving along. We have the Joy of taking part in it but it is all the Lord's doing! There is still opposition but there will always be opposition to truth, good and righteousness in this life. But the Lord's work moves forward! As we participate in it our testimonies are strengthened! Our knowledge is deepened and our faith increased.

I love y'all so much!

Love your missionary,

Elder Drew Bowen  

K.'s baptism with Bishop H., Elder Reid and Elder Bowen.

Special Baptism Day!

Getting Ready for Baptism!

June 23, 2014

This past week has been great!

We taught seven lessons with member friends present! I don't believe I have ever taught that much with members my entire mission! It was a miracle!

K. has continued to prepare for baptism. She passed her interview this past week and we created her baptismal program. We are very excited for her. She will be baptized by the bishop and confirmed by her member friend's grandfather. She left for girls camp today. We are excited to hear how her experience is at camp. She is going to be a youth camp leader and be baptized upon her returning from camp. She has been a miracle for the Plano 9th ward! She has jumped right into the church and participated in so many ways. From early morning seminary and singing in the chior to being a youth camp leader. The Lord has prepared her to be able to make these covenants with Him. And Elder Reid and I feel blessed to be able to take part in her story of finding The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I'll be sure to send y'all a picture of us at her baptism!

This week we also got in touch with one of our investigators who we lost contact with for a month or so. We had taught her and her x-sister in law and she had seemed to be the least interested between the two of them. However, her x-sister in law has now moved and she said she would like to have us come back. We returned and brought a great member couple with us. She was more interested than we thought. When we invited her to be baptized we were shocked when she said yes! In our next lesson we used more inspired questions and the lesson was very powerful. She didn't come to church but we feel that she will be coming soon. We just need to help build her faith a little more.

We read in the Book of Mormon with the C. family. Brother C. is ready and waiting for Sister C. At church yesterday he said, "We have both been reading and we will get in touch with you to come by and read with us again this week. First you get her to read, then you get her in the water." He is waiting for her to be ready for baptism so that they can do it as a family. Sister C. is learning though. She is starting to know the story of the Book of Mormon as we have started to read with her and asks questions too. Once she has a testimony they will be ready to make covenants. The Bishop is planning on having someone go to the temple with them to walk around the grounds and talk about the blessings of the temple and have dinner afterwards. They have been investigating for so long they are practically members already and they will be soon. They will surprise the whole ward when they make the announcement that they are ready! We are hoping to be here when they do make it. But we will see.

B. and M. have been out of town this past week. They have been with their family and cousin as he recovers. We feel the Lord is preparing B. and M. to feel the spirit tremendously as we teach them about the plan of salvation when they get back from their other cousin's funeral. We are hoping to be able to teach them when they get back this weekend.

This past week we had our last meeting with President Durrant! He is such an incredible man! The Lord chooses the best misison presidents. We are going to miss him and his family as they move back to Utah this Saturday. I'm excited to meet Pres. Taylor though and to be able to continue serving in the Texas Dallas Mission. It is amazing to be able to take part in this great work.  

I have often thought of the early members of the church and their hardships as I have studied about their experiences. What a legacy we have. I think we will all one day face persecution of our own in one way or another, similar to how they did. That's just part of having the truth. You get a little bit of kick back every once in a while. It's always been that way. And yet with all the awful things that happened to the pioneers, the reformers and all the people who have ever found the shinning incorruptible truth, they lived some of the best lives with the greatest amount of success, fulfillment and joy in the end. I hope that we all may do the same.

I love y'all and hope all continues well for you!

Love your missionary,

Elder Drew Bowen  

Another Wonderful Week in Plano!

June 16, 2014

This past week has been great!

We met with K. and her mother came to the lesson as well. Her name is R.  She speaks Spanish but understands English and can speak simple English as well. We started teaching them the commandments and began with obedience. We read in 1 Nephi 2:20 which speaks of how when we keep the commandments we are blessed. We continued teaching about prayer, scripture study and keeping the Sabbath day holy. R. was very interested with the Book of Mormon and she was flipping through it as we were teaching K. She then looked up during the lesson and read 1 Nephi 2:20 to us again and said "This is beautifully written." We then taught her about the Book of Mormon and told her that she could keep that copy and also that we would like to give her a copy in Spanish after our lesson. She was very grateful. When we taught about keeping the Sabbath day holy we talked about how on Sunday we avoid doing work. R. then said "I usually do laundry on Sundays so Im not supposed to do that. Well I'm not going to do that any more." She is a very humble person, very much like her daughter. We spoke to R. about the Spanish missionaries and how we wanted her to be able to meet them. She left on a trip this past week but will be coming to another lesson with K. in the up coming week and we will hopefully be able to have them there with us to be able to start teaching her. I feel that she will embrace the gospel, especially when she goes to church with the Spanish Branch.

 This week we went on exchange with the Plano 2nd branch Elders. I had the opportunity to work with Elder Patton in the 9th ward. It was a great day. During the day we found a new investigator. We taught him the restoration after being welcomed into his apartment and given ice water. We have another lesson scheduled with him this Wednesday with him and his girlfriend. We also found a potential investigator, who became a new investigator Friday when we met with him at our scheduled time. Elder Patton is an excellent teacher of the gospel in both English and Spanish (from what Spanish I can comprehend I could tell that he is a powerful teacher).

We read in the Book of Mormon with the C.'s. It has gone well each time we have read with them. The spirit comes in and they even read the chapters they commited to read from our last visit. Bro C. is waiting for Sis. C. to gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon and we feel that she slowly is gaining a testimony. We have both felt that we need to take things slow and so our invitations have all been to helping her gain this testimony. Bro C. has also tried to help her by directing comments to her in a kind way.

B. and M. went out of town unexpectedly due to B.'s cousins being in an accident. We just got word that one of them passed away today. The plan of salvation will be a great blessing to them. Especially in this trying time for them.

I love y'all tons! Hope y'all have a great week!

Love yall!

Love your missionary,

Elder Drew Bowen

Another Incredible Week in Plano!

June 9, 2014

This week has been incredible!

Yesterday was one of the happiest Sundays of my mission! We had five investigators at church! It was a Miracle! B. and M. came! They walked in just after the sacrament. We thought that they wouldn't be there because we hadn't heard anything from them that morning. No response to our reminder text or our last attempt phone call. But there they were! They had been asked if they could go in to work and they said they couldn't because of church and then they got lost on their way over. They stayed for all three hours though!

Also K. came to church and she even participated in the sacrament program! It was seminary graduation so she sung the EFY medley with them! She is progressing in the gospel so fast! It's amazing to see the Lord teach her and answer her prayers. She told us in our last lesson that she had prayed so much in the past week with finals for the High school year. She passed all of her tests and said that she knows that her prayers made a big difference. It's such a blessing to be able to take part in the Lord's work! He is the one working with all His children and is blessing us with the opportunity to see Him work in their lives.

Also this past week we taught the C. family. Elder Reid and I both feel that because they have been investigating the church these past two years and coming regularly we don't need to push them toward making the covenant of baptism because they know. Our focus has been to help Sister C. receive a testimony of the Book of Mormon. Brother C. is ready to be baptized and he has told us that and members of the ward but is waiting for Sister C. to feel the same. We read in the Book of Mormon with them this past week. It was a great experience for everyone. We read in 1 Nephi 11-12. We had to give her the background of the vision of the tree of life and who Nephi was because she hasn't read much in the Book of Mormon. (She did recently finish another volume of the Work and the Glory though but it doesn't have the same promise the Book of Mormon does.) After we finished reading Chapter 11 she wanted to read another chapter. I hope that she will keep her commitment to read Chapter 13 on her own before our next visit with them.

This just goes to show how important the Book of Mormon is to one's conversion. We cannot fully know and understand the restoration without it. We cannot gain the some conviction without it. We may be able to go to church every week and not have a testimony of it but we deny ourselves the blessings that come from this book! That's why we are taking this focus with the C.'s and it is our prayer that they will receive a testimony of The Book of Mormon as they read, ponder and pray to know its truthfulness.

We also met with H. He invited us over for dinner and we had a great visit with him. He is Jewish and has just gone through an unexpected divorce. He is seeking for peace and has begun to investigate Christianity. We invited him to church and as we talked about church and what it was like the spirit was there. He wasn't able to make it but we are hoping to meet with him again this week.

It's so fun being a Missionary! You are more exhausted than any other point in your life and yet it's fun, joyous and incredible. Even with being exhausted you are still able to teach even though sometimes when you go into a lesson you feel that as soon as you sit down on the couch you just might fall asleep but then the spirit comes and you wake up enough to teach and the lesson goes much better than you thought it would and you are amazed that the investigators in your area progress so much! I love the feeling that comes from missionary work. It's hard in the moment but whenever you look back a day or a week it brings joy to your heart and makes you love every second of it!

 

So don't forget to look for and pray for opportunities to share the gospel with people around you! It will seem really hard sometimes in the moment but as you look back on it, it'll fill your heart with joy!

I love y'all so much and hope y'all have an incredible week! And Happy Father's Day next Sunday! 

 

Love your missionary,

Elder Drew Bowen