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Monday, August 3, 2015

Jake #6 - Provo, UT - Three Days Left, His Grace is Sufficient


                    January 9, 2015




Hi Everyone,

   There are three days left. It feels very weird to think about what's coming, but I'm more than ready. I've made very fast friends with the islanders. I finished the Book of Mormon this week. I really enjoy the lessons that can be learned from it.


Argentina Zone

 I am very grateful for the new districts. We now have a zone of 18 elders and 8 sisters. All of the second district and I get along very well  I don't know, the super new ones yet. I'm with Elder Nelson currently. 

My classes are mostly on how to teach and a little bit of Spanish review. We finished the Spanish grammar; so currently, it's just refining and learning more vocabulary.


 I'm short on time today, I recommend watching the video "His Grace is Sufficient" by Brad Wilcox for my spiritual thought. It can be found on LDS.org.




I'm really excited to go. 

Elder Bowman

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Jake #5 - Provo, UT - Spanish Improving, Eight New Elders, Wrong Suit Came



                     January 2, 2015


Hi Everyone,

  
     This week we finished with a couple of the mock investigators. Now we have become the mock investigators for some of the beginning Spanish classes. We received our travel itinerary, and I am to be travel leader. Its going to be a 21 hour trip.


This week we learned a lot about how to teach, different methods and tools to use. I feel my language skills are improving dramatically After a little bit more of grammar study, the only thing I shall lack are the Argentine Spanish words and lots of vocabulary. 

Roommates
This last week, we received  a new shipment of eight elders into our zone. It's exciting to see more people coming. It does make me feel that I am more than ready to leave the MTC and get into the field. I have learned a lot here, but being able to stretch my legs and apply what I've learned will be fantastic. 

I'm sending you my suit that doesn't fit from Jos. Banks. The jacket doesn't fit, as well. I had the seamstress here take the measurements. She said that the suit needs to be more than tailored. Also, it is the wrong suit. It's never been worn. And they said it was tailored, when it has not been. I really do need new watches and some ties that are less fragile. The Missionary Mall tie is my favorite. It doesn't hold creases very much. 


Love,
Elder Bowman

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Jake #4 - Provo, UT - Christmas at the MTC

                                          December 26, 2014





Family and Friends,

   So Christmas was a blast. The Apostle Elder Nelson came and spoke about the 9 facets of the gospel. We also had a talent show and watched 'Ephraim's Rescue.' I had a great time, though I really was quite sore from sitting literally all the waking day.  It was nice to have a Christmas apart from the world. I recommend reading the gospel of Matthew and Luke to get a full story of Jesus's birth. I also saw the movie 'The Nativity' on Christmas Eve. It was another interesting movie. 




So a thought. In Matthew 14, we go back 2000 years roughly and Jesus just found out his cousin, John the Baptist, has been beheaded. So Jesus goes up a mountain to pray and tells His disciples to meet Him on the other side of the lake. They start sailing to the other side. I imagine visibility was quite low, as it was dark and stormy with waves and wind.



As they, in the midst of the waters, see a human-like shape walking toward them. They do what any person would and freak out thinking that some spirit is coming. Jesus says, 'Relax' and keeps walking toward them. So 11 of them are like, 'Wow He is walking on water,' and Peter is going, 'Hey, I love that guy and I'd kinda like to walk on water.' So think now to 1 Nephi 3:7 aka God will provide a way to follow all commandments. So Peter says to Jesus. "Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water." Because he knows if The Lord asks him to come he will be able.

So Jesus does, and I imagine he doesn't step out as that would be doubting and at this time he has no doubt. So I imagine he Jumps over the side of this boat in harsh conditions and starts walking towards Jesus. After a moment the harsh winds cause him to become fearful, and he starts to sink. And Jesus immediately stretched forth His hand, lifts him up and sets him back on top of the water and walks back to the boat friendly telling him why did you doubt? Have more faith.

So three things I love here:
1) That God ALWAYS provides a way to follow his commandments 
2) That because Jesus has gone below all things has suffered all things he can reach below all things, We cannot sink far enough that He will still not be able to give us a helping hand
3) That Jesus meets us half way. If we come to Him, He will come to us. All we have to do is ask. This occurred both with meeting His disciples half way on the water and immediately helping Peter when he had asked.

Christ in red and white robes, knocking on a plain wooden door with a small window showing warm light inside.

He is standing at the door knocking, but only we can open in it to let Him in.

Merry Christmas,
Elder Bowman

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Jake #3 - Provo, UT - Energetic, Spanish Speaking Companion, Working With Little Sleep

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                                               December 18, 2015

Hey,
   
    So Its been a very quick week. My progress in Spanish is starting to slow down some. My third companion left for the field, and we are now teaching five investigators.

 I really like the food here a lot, as evidenced by I have in two weeks gained a substantial amount of weight (not to my displeasure.) I've gained weight, though we rarely have enough time to eat as long as we would like, or do anything for that matter.

 I know that my companion was a divinely-assisted decision to be with me. He is the most energetic guy in our zone and also knows the most Spanish. He worked in a factory for two years with a lot of Mexicans, so it really helped him out.



 Sleep is always in high demand. With such a little supply, it's becoming increasingly hard to focus in the long hours of class. In listening to the words of the prophets in conference talks, I have found more ways to use or apply their words all the time here. 

My hard investigator had direct revelation during one of our lessons. 

I need my shoes my suits. Please go to the Missionary Mall and find out if they have sent my shoes. If not, give them this address or pick them up yourself and give them to me. Five different colors of sticky notes would also be nice and some pens. Food really isn't needed.  Also, I will be able to call on Christmas for 30 minutes. Somewhere between 3:15-5:15, so be there if you can. I will be calling the home phone. 

That is all for the time being. My departure date from the MTC is January 12. 

Elder Jacob Morgan Bowman
Jan 12 ARG-NEU
2007 N 900 E Unit 57
Provo UT 84602


Love,
Elder Bowman

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Jake - #2 - Provo, UT - In a Trio, Advanced Questions, Can't Wait to be Out

   December 12, 2014

Hey Everyone,

     So big new for this week. I am in a trio now - with Elder Nelson the ex-boxer and Elder Kanyuck, a musician. Elder Kanyuck has a band called Emerald Alley and a song on itunes. He leaves the MTC for Mexico City in a few days.

   Its still really busy here, but I think I'm getting used to it. There is a large sleep deficit building up in all of us Elders, so we are taking naps on P days.

   I really enjoy having access to the temple, and I am getting along well with everyone. The spirit is very strong in the MTC. I have two mock investigators and one non-mormon investigator. He is very hard to teach as his questions are extremely advanced, like why did Nephi write the beginning of the Book of Mormon in Egyptian, after being raised his entire life in Jerusalem, and his ancestors being in Egypt having been so long ago? We had the answers, but he is very hard to understand. 



   I can feel quite strongly how much my language skills are improving and am taking the advice of Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley to read the Book of Mormon in Spanish. I try to read a chapter a day.

    It's a blessing to be serving the Lord, but I can't wait to be out in the field. I feel like what I am learning is how to give impromptu lessons on the spot in Spanish, only having just decided the topic. It's not because we don't plan, because we do when we have time. It's because we keep having multiple lessons a day without having a chance to stop and plan in between. Well thats about it. 

Adios,
Elder Bowman

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Jake - #1 - Provo, UT - Two Days In, Pulled me to Intermediate Spanish

                                                   December 5, 2014

Hey guys. 

I'm an Elder. I constantly say that. My P-day is on Friday. Its super busy here but about what I expected. I didn't expect my Spanish to come nearly as fast as it did. On day two, they pulled me out of my beginning class which was pretty advanced already. Most in there have two years of Spanish, and placed me in a new intermediate class and had me change companions. 

I am now in a district of 4 people - two Elders and two Hermanas. The hardest part is sitting, and sitting, for like 10 hours a day. Thankfully, my companion is very cool. His name is Elder Nelson. He used to box and is a recent convert to the church. It is kinda funny, because my previous companion was a state champion wrestler. We get along very well.

I adjusted very easily to the sleeping schedule I actually am the first to get up and get up the rest of my zone. The food is fantastic. We are very close as a zone and do everything together. We're all athletes, so health isn't a problem. 



Planning is important as we probably have had 20 minutes of free time per day. Until today that is. It's really interesting how much the spirit is present when we teach, pray, or bare our testimonies in Spanish vs English. 

We have excellent teachers. I actually can speak mostly in Spanish now, a lot has comeback. It feels as though I've been here a week, not two days. Pre-mission life is kinda hazy. There is so much to do and to know, and its very fast paced here. 

I'm very glad I served a mission. This is certainly the best place for me. I actually (my first day here) made my first contact. We had a non-member BYU student on campus, that was truly a non-member. He came to help train the missionaries. He isn't interested in hearing the gospel but accepted the church's invitation to help out. When he spoke I felt the spirit prompting me on what to say, and I understood him. Many of the missionaries were very unsure of how to approach him, because he shut missionaries down when they spoke. He spoke his mind and was very blunt. Needless to say, I thought he and I would get along great.  I approached him after the lesson and invited him to meet with my companion and I, so we could talk. I was rejected, his reasoning being BYU finals week, but he told me if I saw him around the MTC I should come talk to him. So day one, and already my first rejection. To be honest it didn't bother me. I feel he is ready for the gospel. 

I'll send a photo soon.

Love,
Elder Bowman

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