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