Hello!

Ah, there is so much to tell and so little time. It's almost easier to write individual notes to individual people because I forget a lot of what I want to tell as I write this one big letter but I am glad that so many people get to read this one! I want Heidi and Jeremy and Bryson and Payson to know how happy I was to get a letter from them! It meant a lot to me.

So, transfers are this Wednesday and I will be getting a new trainer! I love my current trainer but I do know that this change is an answer to prayer and that it will bless the lives of a great many people. I absolutely know that I learned what I needed to from my current companion, even if it wasn't a lesson that I wanted to learn but I overcame an obstacle I had been facing for my whole life. I feel a lot of relief to have overcome that. It is amazing how Heavenly Father loves us so much that He gives us opportunities and lends us strength to grow and learn and that we can exert the will-power to choose to endure a hardship in order to receive a blessing. I am better now, not coughing anymore. Incredibly, my cough subsided very quickly after I received a letter from my dad. I am a firm believer in miracles; they happen every day and exist for all who choose to see them:)

I received letters from Judy and Sid Paulson and Sister Mackenzie Maynard this last week, so happy I was to hear from them! I'll try to be better at sharing pictures, I know those are so fun to see.

Again, I really love letters. I won't die if I don't get them but they help me a lot. I do know that so many of you have been doing so much for me already, though, I see the effects of your prayers and other offerings. If all you can do for me is remember me, I feel that in my heart, too, and know that whatever you can offer to me and to anyone you find who stands in need, that is enough.

Love always,

Sister Elizabeth Bowen

3/11/13

Hello everyone!

This week has been about one of the asolute worst weeks of my entire life! The "cold" that developed the Wednesday before last turned into a horrible cough. I was coughing so hard and so much that my ribs were aching and every night I didn't sleep much because I was coughing so much. I had one of the elders who is in my area (who actually came to the field with me) give me a blessing and it was so comforting. In it he said that Heavenly Father is aware of the struggle I have been having and that it is for my good, that He knows I can handle it. That was humbling. I still had the cough and it was still terrible but I felt better in my mind.

I had an incredible transformation this week. After Zone Training, where I got to see Sister Richardson, my MTC companion, and and other missionaries I came with as well as meet with President Wirthlin. I showed him the famiy picture that Grandma and Grandpa Bowen sent to me and he looked at it for a while and said what a good looking family we have. It was reassuring to talk with him briefly, I am so glad that he gets to be my mission president for my whole misison:) After Zone Training we went on an exchange. Sister Resare, who came to the field with me, was my companion for the 24 hours and that was so overwhelming but helpful. That evening while trying to plan and study with her, she could see that I had been discouraged and asked me what's wrong. Haha, she asked me this a lot and finally I just started to cry. She asked me lots of questions and let me express what I have been feeling and responded with kindness and understanding; she allowed me to fall apart like I needed to and in turn this allowed me find out how to solve my trouble. She supported me in my following of the promptings of the Spirit and that was exactly what I needed. My dad's letter came that day after exchanges and it could not have come at a more perfect time. After reading his letter I wasn't afraid of Sister Howick (my companion) any more and I knew how to be absolutely patient and forgiving. I felt the greatest joy and strength come to me, such as I have never felt before.

I want to testify of the neccessity of trials and sorrow and anguish of the soul in the proccess of becoming perfected. Just like Jesus Christ, I didn't want to suffer like I did, in fact I prayed to Him and expressed how absolutely I didn't want to do any of this. But because in the end I submitted my self to His will for me, He was able to guide me a way that I was able to overcome a great weakness. In our lives, sometimes we have tremendous obstacles to face and we have the choice to either face them with faith or go another way. It may seem easier to go another way but in my life every time I do this, as I strive to go the path that leads to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, I still end up with that treacherous mountain to climb. This week I finally climbed over the top of that mountain and I nearly hated every minute of it, but since I bucked up and did what was required, I had the opportunity to feel and experience the most exquisite joy and growth. God does not ever forget us but rather we forget Him, especially when He requires hard things of us and we refuse to do them. We HAVE to have faith in Him. We have to do the hard things He requires in order for us to experience the real, true growth and joy that He has in store. In the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ, who I have trusted, I bear this witness, Amen.

Always,

Sister Elizabeth Bowen

P.S. I am not coughing hardly at all anymore and am sleeping better. Also, I am allowed to email friends now. Please don't overwhelm me with emails, I want more letters than anything, but I will do my best to respond.

Dear family and others who I love so much,

I am so excited about Isaac's misson call! I was thinking about it all week and had dreams about being with Isaac when he received his call! I think about him all the time. Thank you to all of you who wrote me emails and letters. They give me a sense of peace and calm somehow; I get anxious when I don't hear from anyone because I want to know how you're doing and I feel a bit lonely, too. Haha, at the same time it's a lot to take in because there is so much a missionary has to remember! But I think of how the Spirit brings to our rememberance the things we need in the very moments that we need them. (I am working on remembering scripture references and not just the message of what I read in the scriptures so that I can be supported in what I say.)

The work is moving slow here in the Fayetteville, NY area (which covers Manlius, -where I live, haha, I technically live in a village- Cazenovia, Chittenango -which some nick name "Chitt" but I don't haha- and Fayetteville of course.) It's hard not to get discouraged when I look at our numbers, but I know that anything worth finding takes a lot of time and effort to find so I'm being patient. My companion and I talked about how we know that there is at least one person here who we need to find and there is a reason that we are companions even though we anoy eachother often but we both understand that the Lord knows who we are here for and how we will find them. The Lord "descended below all things" so that He could rise above them and because of that I know that harder things get, the more glorious the reward will be in the end and the mercies we receive throughout our trials are more cherished.

I love the families in my ward! I am excited to get to know them better. The ward mission leader's children are going to give me a nickname because they give one to all the missionaries (Sister Howick is "Sister Hoho" because they met her at Christmas time.) So far they've thrown out Bobo (which means "dummy" in Spanish so their dad said they couldn't call me that, haha) and Bowtie. I'm trying to convince my companion to go teach the families we know so that we can get to know them better and receive referrals from them!

I haven't been my healthiest self this week, sadly I have caught something! It started with a sore throat and now I have a cough and I don't quite sleep past 3 without waking up. The worst part of it is not wanting to get anyone else sick so part of me doesn't want to go visit people! But I am praying to get better and that I won't get anyone sick and praying that dad will get better quick as well! It could be worse though, at least I don't have bed bugs which are common here, and I pray all the time that I won't!

I am glad to hear about all the good things happening in everyone's lives. It makes me feel good about being here.

There is a scripture that has been coming to my mind a lot, Psalms 46:10 (Though I like all of D&C 101:16 better) "Be still and know that I am God.." Mom made a magnet a long time ago with this scripture on it and now I know what it means. I have a hard time sometimes having the faith to stop and ponder when I feel like I need to keep going, especially when others are waiting on me. But this scripture says that I need to "be still" and listen calmly, because the Spirit will not be able to tell me anything unless I stop to hear what He is trying to tell me. I know the principle of the thing but applying it under pressing situations is the hard part. There are many hard lessons I am finding that I have to learn here.

I hope that this is a good amount of information, the rest I want to tell is specific to each of you who have written to me so I will be doing my best to write to each of you! Until then just know, each of you individually, that I love you and am mindful of you often and I will always feel a need to know that you are happy and well. Please share what you know with all who surround you. You each have a light and you must share it because light was not made to be hidden (3 Nephi 12:14-16.) We all have something to give to every person we know. I know that Christ's complete gospel is on the earth; that he has a prophet, Thomas S. Monson, who he reveals truth and knowledge to for the bennefit and saving of all of us; that families, through the Priesthood power of God, can be sealed together forever and that the Book of Mormon testifies of all of these things and that by reading and praying and pondering on it, you can know these things of a surety as I do. I know that my Redeemer lives and that is why I have given a year and a half of my life to Him, so that others may know it, too.

All my love,

Heaped up, pressed down and running over,

Sister Elizabeth Bowen

P.S. It is alright for me to receive emails from anyone but I can only email my family. If anyone wants me to write to them, send me a letter or at least your address, and I'll do my best to keep in touch!

P.P.S. I can't wait to hear about Issac's call so send word as soon as can be! I love you!

On Mon, Feb 25, 2013 at 11:31 AM, Elizabeth Bowen <elizabeth.bowen@myldsmail.net> wrote:

Hello everyone!

I am so glad to say that this week was better in many ways, though still a struggle in others. I have finally gotten to a point where I am okay being here because every day I am learning little things that help me do good. On Wednesday we had district meeting where our district (4 companionships, my companion and I are the only sisters) gets together to talk about the work and have a lesson to help us do better. For some reason, before that meeting, I hadn't realized part of the reason why I don't feel like I did much good whenever I have left a person's house and it is because I didn't focus on teaching a lesson or in some way emphasizing my purpose! Sometimes it's hard learning to work with someone who is so different from you but so long as you love them and see them as Heavenly Father's child it's easier to learn to handle them:)

I have had some interesting experiences, though not a lot of success. We knocked on a door the other day and about 15 little dogs (mostly little poodles) came barking! I have never seen so many dogs in one house! We also knocked on a guy's door and he said he was "too smart" to believe in God. All I could do was shake my head and think: Incredible. People here are very closed off and hard. I feel like the curiosity doesn't exist anymore and openness is a rarity. These things are rare in most of the world anymore, but I am determined to find the people who possess these qualities. I am learning to be more tolerant of people who are so different from me and to fully love and appreciate the few who I share an understanding with. These people are the ones who have brought me the most comfort, and the more of them I have met, the more I have been able to tolerate this place.

We drove out to a place called Fabius and I was filled with joy as the houses became few and far apart and I saw actual fields and animals (besides cats and dogs, which EVERYONE has.) I never knew how much I love the West. Amazingly, I miss the openness and brightness and freshness of the land where I have grown up. I haven't seen a single horse or cow either and that is strange to me. I can't wait for the spring!

Yesterday (Sunday) I cried a lot at church. I felt the Spirit more strongly than I have in a while and I am glad to have clearly felt Heavenly Father's love fill me up and surround me. I was glad to be reminded that the weak things of the world are made strong and able to do the Lord's work; I truly have been humbled and feel like the Nephites in Mosiah 4 (verse 2.) I am amazed by how much Elder Butterfield (an Elder who came to the field when I did and is in my district as well as my ward) and I know about teaching and how anxious to teach and be missionaries we are; even though he is one of the 18 year olds, he is incredible. All of the missionaries who came out with me are just as amazing and I miss them every day. My companion told me that Sister Richardson, my MTC companion, is in my zone and I will get to see her at zone training next week! I'll probably cry when I see her because I miss her so much every day and night, in fact she is always my companion in my dreams. Oh and about dreams, I have vivid dreams every night and my family is in all of them. It's hard to wake up know that the adventures I just had weren't real, but I strive to focus on having a good day. I don't sleep so well (I wake up at about 4:50 every morning and don't go back into a full sleep again) but I am grateful that I don't fall asleep when I do my morning study anymore. Personal study time is precious to me and I am striving to use my time more effectively.

Missionary work is hard, but the thing that makes it the absolute hardest is when you don't follow the rules and commandments exactly. I like the quote by Lucy Mack Smith, Joseph Smith's mom, that says "Obedience brings blessings. Exact obedience brings miracles." If you want the Spirit to be with and to guide you and if you want success, you have to be obedient. Even if the rules don't make sense to us or we have to give up don't something that we have done for a long time, the Lord has given them to us for a reason and we can be sure that if we follow them, He will bless us with blessings that we never knew we could receive.

I love all of you and I think of you every day. I always pray for blessings to be poured out upon you and for you to feel the love I have for you.

Always,

Sister Elizabeth Bowen