Mom of a Missionary...Emails from Mexico...He's been transfered... October 2nd...

Out of the jungle and into the Bosque

 Good afternoon, my dear friends and family! Surprise. It's me!

There were transfers today. I have been assigned to open a new area (or rather, help divide an area in two) in the Colonia Bosque, in CIUDAD TAMPICO!!

That's right, finally, i'm in Tampico. Well, at least a portion of it. I don't have the rights to access all of the city, but hey, I finally have the opportunity to go to an actual supermarket. Who cares if I can´t go to walmart? At least I can, like, choose to eat something other than corn pops.

Bosque is apparently a very big area, so for that reason, they are dividing it into two areas. My new companion, Elder Estrada, will be opening the area Bosque 2 with me. We don't have a house yet, so we're sleeping with other missionaries until something can be arranged. The beach is sadly, not part of our area, but who cares, really. I still get a beachy vibe from the area and the climate. Woo-hoo!

The members of San Felipe were sad to see me go, but I know I'll see them again in the future.

Packing my suitcases seems to get harder each time. I'm sorta frightened for what will happen once I start accumulating art books. I already have five. Three filled, one on the way, and one empty. I might just have to start carrying a box of extra things around (something I hope doesn't have to happen).

Who knows.

Well. I'm excited for the new transfer, and I'm most certainly excited for what lies ahead. Thank you all for your E-mails (and especially the photos aaaaaaaaah!). I'll be sure to send photos to all of you when I have the opportunity to take them (which I'm sure I will have.)

While I don't have a spiritual thought in mind, I would like to invite you all to watch the following talk given on the Saturday Morning Session of General Conference. Elder Holland's talk really spoke to me, and I'm awaiting the transcription of this talk in English so that I can pick up anything that I missed. (Keep in mind I watched and listened to every single talk in Spanish).
Saturday Morning Session: Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

I also have a bunch of doodles that I will be sending off to you in the following E-mail.

Oh yeah! It's also October.
I also have a bunch of doodles that I will be sending off to you in the following E-mail.

While there's no celebrating halloween persay in Mexico, I eagerly await November for Día de los Muertos. In the meantime, enjoy the following photos I

 tookEscalofriante!

Nos Vemos la próxima semana, mis queridos! Cuidese Mucho.

-Elder Bowlby.

Mom of a Missionary....Emails from Mexico...September 25th...

Stale upon opening the box... Mexican Froot loops

 
Hello my family and friends. Elder Bowlby here. I have the froot and I also have the loops.

 (Good morning Sunrise in San Felipe)

This week hasn't been too eventful so I am going to keep it short and sweet. Basically, we've been working a lot. I've been trying to push myself forward, trying hard to conquer my personal doubts and fears (especially with talking to people). I've learned a lot about accountability and responsibility. Perhaps the people here aren't as hard-hearted as I thought... perhaps it's just my lack of confidence.
I'm working on it.
It hasn't been very easy this week, but we're moving forward towards general conference and transfers. There is the hope that I might be swapped to a different area... hopefully one that has a supermarket. With cereal.

I'm going to work extra hard this week so that I can enjoy conference and leave this area better than how I arrived.
I don't have much else to share, really. Only an invitation to you all to watch the general conference sessions this 30th of September and 1st of October. You won't regret it. It's a very nice way to know more about the church, it's leaders, our beliefs, and of course, the Savior. We are inviting all of our investigators to come watch with us... and it looks like I'll be watching in Spanish.


Please take care. God Bless, and stay strong this week. I love you all, I miss you, and I know that we will see each other promptly. Can you believe it's almost October?

-Elder Bowlby

(The following week is transfers. I may not write Monday due to travel purposes. Expect my e-mail a bit late, possibly tuesday or wednesday.)

Mom of a Missionary....Emails from Mexico...September 18th

A week of winning (Also VIVA MÉXICO)

 Buenos Tardes, mis queridos. ¿Que tal la chamba?

Hello, Everyone! Elder Bowlby here. It's been a weird week in Mexico due to the fiestas, meetings, and lots of other things that have been going on. I've learned a lot and I'm going to move forward with the things I have learned in mind! Lets quickly touch up on the toughening up.

Rolling around at the speed of sound
We've mostly been running from meeting to appointment to another appointment... and we're not exactly 100% successful but we're putting all of that nonsense behind us! No more focusing on sadness and whatnot. If the day goes bad my companion and I look at it and ask how we can make tomorrow better! Yeah! We're also making an effort to go out of our way and talk to random people in the street, something we havent done in a while. It was the most uncomfortable experience when I walked up to a random woman and offered to help her with her bags... buuuuut she said nothing and looked at me like I was something disgusting. I had a feeling that she didn't want to talk to me.

Helping lift up the fallen
In our ventures around San Felipe, we encountered a family of a woman who, after lots of time, had become inactive from all sort of religion. We didn't even know she was a member of our branch until the second time we met with her, and we certainly will be looking for ways to strengthen her in the following weeks. We're also helping a member named Francisco to overcome his personal weaknesses and come closer to the Savior.

Improvement
Every day is a new opportunity to improve. Taking each day with a new point of view. Still a bit timid with the language but I'm improving my teaching skills bit by bit. Learning to be more humble and patient. I'm also learning to relax a little bit.

I keep winning free foodI don't know what it is with my luck but whenever I pick up some extra cookies or a bag of cheetos I happen to win free snacks/promotional discounts to Burger king. There aren't any Burger Kings here in San Felipe (which is a bummer) but the free sweets are nice. I've saved a few pesos through these little things. It's nice.

As always, I'd like to close with a spiritual thought. I've been re-reading the Book of Mormon from 1st Nephi, and I'm quite astonished how many times Lehi tells his children to keep the commandments of God. I'm only at chapter 5 and I've already marked up quite a bit.
Nephi, being the more righteous of his bretheren, delivers the powerful line:

I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.

I really like how willing Nephi is to follow the commands of the Lord, and I also marvel at his faith. He knows without a doubt that the Lord is willing to help him succeed in following these commandments. An example that I am looking to follow each day.

Cuídese mucho,

-Elder Bowlby

Mom of a Missionary...E-mails From Mexico...September 11th....

​I'm going to be brief because I don't have a ton of time. We're in a little road-side ciber right now because we don't have access to the chapel office right now. The situation is a bit rough here in San Felipe.

Our shining ray of hope and encouragementIn our ward, there's a young man who has already returned from his Mission, named Beto. He's incredibly kind, and always ready to help us out. Whenever we feel down he's always there to help us back up onto our feet. I'm incredibly grateful for his attitude and example. He's the kind of person I want to be when I return. 

Nothing much is really happening...We're doing our best and doing what we can, but we're not seeing the fruits of our labors. Perhaps we are here to sow seeds for future missionaries. Whatever the case, my companion and I are getting better each day. I'm becoming more and more confident with talking with people, sharing lessions, talking with people in the street...
More and more I'm reminded about how I need to be more humble. I'm working on fixing my flaws every day, and even if I can't help others fix their flaws I can at least know that I am refining myself in the process.

FidelOur investigator Fidel showed up to church this sunday! We're very happy for him, as this marks a step towards promises with the Lord, and leaving his old drinking habits behind him in the dust. 

StressA lot of stress recently. I feel a lot of pressure to do something but I don't know what to do. It's weighing down on me a bit, and I'm looking to see what I can do to improve, but I just don't know. 

A lot of buzz about hurracanes and earthquakesI'm fine, really. Nothing struck here and everything is quite normal and sunny. Nothing more than a bit of rain and my broken umbrella (which more or less still works).

I'm running out of time, so I'm going to quickly share some of the drawings I made for sharing with the people here. I don't have quite enough yet for what I need to do, but I'm going to make copies and work hard with them this week. I sadly do not have a spiritual thought to share with you this week, but I would like to encourage you to read your scriptures daily and keep working hard to do good in the world.

Good luck with your adventures and daily battles.

Jesus and the hill where he gave the sermon on the Beattitudes (with the Sea of Galilee in the background).

My interpretation of a temporary paradise

The forbidden fruit from the Garden of Eden. It looks like a strawberry, but it's not. I think the forbidden fruit has a prismic shape. If you can spot the gospel truth I've hidden in this card, you're probably one that is very keen with the spirit.

God Bless, and stay strong. Ye are the light of the world. 

-Elder Bowlby
​

Mom of A Missionary...E-mails from Mexico.. Being soaking wet is the most unpleasant feeling I have ever felt in a long time.

Hello, Hello! It's me once again. Elder Bowlby here! Welcome to the rainy season. It's going to be raining a lot here in San Felipe... Yikes.

Lots of Rain.
It appears that my umbrella has finally started to break and fall apart. Uh oh. Looks like I'll be using my rain jacket a lot more. I'm not too ready to buy a new umbrella just yet, as there aren't any chain stores around here like Walmart. Everything I want to buy is either in the street or in a street-side store run by who knows who. Maybe I should just wait until I get transferred to a different area.

We were out in a colonia that was more or less 10 minutes away from home. We arrived and it was cloudy, which was no big deal.
The problem was that as we started to walk back the rain started to downpour and I had nothing with which to protect myself. Elder Araujo really likes the rain because it doesn't rain a lot in Perú, and he was happily walking and singing in the rain.
I on the other hand was very unhappy with the situation, but Elder Araujo helped me lighten up and we both returned to the house laughing and drenched. 

Lack of people to talk to.
Yeah the people still aren't too ready to talk to us. My zone leader encouraged me to think outside the box with how we find people to teach. I haven't arrived at anything sure yet, but I have a feeling that it will require the use of my drawings. They can reject my presence all they want but if they reject my drawings there is no hope because honestly what more can I do?

We're doing what we can to lift up the wounded.
We've been meeting with a man named Fidel recently. He's had problems with alcohol and he's been looking for change in his life, so we are helping him as best we can. He's really talented with woodwork. He makes wonderful looking doors, handrailing, closets, tables... and he learned at the age of 25 without formal schooling! I really feel that the message we share will be able to help him overcome his addiction and never return. 

All in all...

With every week comes a new trial of faith. I'm doing what I can to adjust, to learn, to move forward and to become a better servant/Missionary. I'd like to share a scripture with you that I found during my study time. 

2 Nephi 25:26
And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

My dearest friends and family, It is my hope that you continually look unto he  will see you all next week. Good luck, stay strong, and make the extra effort to do something good in the world! Make a change for the better. In Spanish, change starts with U.

Well, not really. Change still starts with C (the word is Cambio). But I'm sure you get what I meant. 😉

-Elder Bowlby
who is able to save, to he who is ready to lend a hand to those who are in need. We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach and prophesy of Christ, and we do this to bring all to a knowledge of our Savior and Redeemer.

Mom of a Missionary... E-mails from Mexico..August 28th...

This has been one of the most bizarre transfers of my Mission thus far... and I'm going to be a bit brief because time is shorter than it seems.

The stomach issues are gone. I've been taking my vitamins, eating better, and finding more vegetables and fruits to eat. Sad thing is that apples are 70 pesos a kilo and I have no idea how much it is to buy a cucumber.

Elder Araujo
My new companion is very professional with the calling of a Missionary. He's got knowledge, scriptures, questions, and a desire to serve, which is amazing. He's a real role model.
It seems however that he's not too fond of the area, as he was just transferred from the area named Madero. It's a city full of rich folk, with walmart and everything. San Felipe on the other hand...

San Felipe
It's been by far one of the roughest weeks for me here in San Felipe. I'm not too good with making desicions, and I'm required to direct the area... which means I choose where to go and who to talk to. We've been looking for our investigators from the past few transfers and they're still recieving us which is nice, but we lack new people who are interested. I haven't been doing too bad, really. I've been following the Spirit as to where I should go, what I should do, and what I should say...
Except... nobody wants to talk to me.
We find new people to serve and teach by knocking on doors, talking to people in the street, offering as much service as humanely possible... But a lot of people are rejecting us and hiding. Perhaps it's because I'm an American or I don't speak spanish very well? I'm not sure.

Patience is key, and it's also something we're lacking.
I've noticed that neither of us happen to have very good patience. Something i'm going to try and develop with the next few weeks (whether I want to or not, really).

The strangest experience
While we don't exactly have any investigators who are keeping invitations we extend, we at least have people to meet with and firm goals. When our plans don't work out, it means that we have to buckle up and follow the Spirit as to where we need to go and what we need to do.
We arrived at a moment like this one fateful thursday (this past thursday), and with a deep breath I made a desicion that seemed more or less effective in the moment. I made the choice to visit a colonia that we had visited often with little success to see if one of our past investigators was interested in another lession.
Well, she wasn't. Broken hearted, we were about to return home when the impression came to me to see if another person we had talked to earlier was in their home... and along the way we encountered an older man working with his grandchild, picking up huge blocks of concrete and putting them into a wheelbarrow. We offered our service, but he declined it. Determined not to let this opportunity go to waste, I made my best effort to talk to the man, to figure out who he is and to hear his story...

Turns out he was the drunk pentacost who approached Elder Arellanes and I on the highway one day. He said he has a very bad alcohol problem that he wants to shake off, and while we didn't get an exact time to meet with him... I have a feeling we'll meet again. We left him a pamphlet about faith on the Lord and repentance, and I hope that we'll be able to have a lession with him.

All in all...

This week has been rough, stressful, and agitating. I woke up sunday feeling awful and empty, and it just so happened that I needed to cry a little. It seems that every step I take reminds me that I'm not perfect and have a lot of need to grow, to improve, to repent, and to change. It seems bleak but I'm confident that this is all for my benefit. I'd like to share this scripture with you that has helped me recently.

Alma 36:3 
And now, O my son Helaman, behold, thou art in thy youth, and therefore, I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day.
Put your trust in the Lord, and he will always be ready to extend a loving arm to you, to guide you onward. This is something that is becoming more and more powerful to me as I learn how to become a better servant of the Lord.Here's to a new week of challenges, adversity, and hoping that my monthly amount of money arrives so I can buy milk.

Love you all!

-Elder Bowlby

Mom of A Missionary... E-Mails from Mexico...August 21, 2017

Hello, everybody. Elder Bowlby here.

Transfers are in, and Elder Arellanes has left the area. Quite sad I am, but the poor Elder had six months in San Felipe and to be honest, he needed a breath of fresh air. Sad to see him off, but I know things will work out well.

I'm no longer a missionary in training. Now, I'm a real Missionary! ...And I have to direct the area! 
I'll do my best!

My new companion is Elder Araujo from Perú! He seems pretty serious (and has a lot of stuff). I have no doubt we'll be good friends in no time.

Truth be told, the only accomplishment we had this week was a baptism. We were both working hard for this moment, and we baptized a very worthy and prepared young man named Ivan. He lives in a community called Huitzitzilingo (where they don't have an LDS chapel) and he took combis out here to meet with us and to attend church. He can speak Nahuat'l, which is basically the ancient Aztec dialect (and can do so quite well). He stopped drinking coffee, read and prayed, and recieved an answer that the church is true. His baptism was a very spiritual experience.

I found out what's making my stomach churn. It's because... Surprise! I'm not eating enough vegetables. Yikes, it's something I took for granted in the States. Vegetables! I never would have imagined that I'd be missing vegetables of all things. 
I dug out my multivitamins that I had stopped taking because they tasted horrible, and now I'm taking them every day. It appears that the frijoles, mole, enchiladas, gorditas, carnitas, aguacate, arroz, y mi triste cereal con leche is not enough to keep me going (or at least without stomach pain). So I'm going to see what kind of vitamins and such I can buy... (but nobody sells vegetables in San Felipe).

Lots of questions about the food recently. I'm eating lots of grains, meat, beans, and fruit... but no vegetables. Real Mexican food. Lots of beans, rice, pork and chicken. Very rarely is beef served but it's quite nice to know that my food is natural. I also know that if the chicken's a bit rough, just means that it's been out walking around on the patio. Talk about free range. Also, I don't normally use salso but I'm getting used to all the picante. Apparently there was some spicy in the beans we had for lunch today and I didn't even notice. An improvement!

No eclipse here in Mexico (at least nothing I could see.)

Thank you for your time and your e-mails. Rest assured, I am doing alright. 

I love you, and I'll see you next week. Stay strong, God Bless, and do your best!