Hi,
    I don't have too long to write, so I will make it quick.

    Transfers are coming, but I am probably not going to move out of Torrance soon, which I am pretty glad about. Our apartment is one of the nicer ones and doesn't have cockroaches like the last one. It is very spacious and is close by a church building and not too far from most of the mission.
     We go all over the place and need to live somewhat close to the center of the mission, without being too far away from the Chinese Branch in Palos Verdes.

    Yes, I am now a trainer, alongside Elder Hsiao. A lot of our time this week was spent going with Elder Casey to the trainings. His Chinese is about the same as mine 6 weeks ago. He is from Layton.

This photo shows all of the LA Missionary Trainers. I'm in the back row. (Click to enlarge)

(Larger view)

Elder Casey is on the left.

     Our mission normally has around four elders, which is how many there will be after this transfer. After November, Elder Casey and I will be the oldest Chinese missionaries out here. We are hoping to get another native Chinese speaker before then.

     English class has been going well as far as getting new people to come, but it is still hard to get them to come back. They always seem to like it. We have even had people come referred to us by people who came and said they liked it.

     Even still, our number of regulars are few. Do you have any ideas about games or activities we can use to teach English? Apart from that, we are having a five or so people come each week who seem as though they might be interested in church.

               Elder Bowman

Hey all,

                                                                                                 April 16

Hi Everyone, 

     Today was busy, because we had to move another bed into our apartment and are planning to visit a Chinese museum.

      Tomorrow is the first day of my second transfer, so Pday was on Tuesday this week. Since I can only write on Pday, your letter is a day later than normal.

We are both going to be trainers for our new Chinese missionary.

        It turns out Elder Hsiao and I are going to be training the new Chinese missionary together. With so many new missionaries coming in and a lot of the old ones leaving, I think they are having a hard time finding enough missionaries to train. It will be really different with three of us again, but I think it will be a great experience.

       My Chinese really needs to start improving faster. I have been making more of an effort to talk to members only in Chinese when we are over. We think we will start practicing the lessons with them to get more practice. The members are very helpful and considerate of my poor Chinese. They are usually willing to help me learn as well. Even though it takes me some time to understand them, they are willing to repeat themselves in Chinese rather than just switching to English.

     We are starting to find more people to teach. We are getting more referrals from other missionaries, especially the Visitor's Center and UCLA missionaries. Also, more people are coming to English class; last week was a record for us.

Referrals are coming from the LA Temple missionaries

     We are still trying to progress with more finding activities and improving the ones we do now. We have a fireside at the end of the month through which we hope to pique the interest of some Chinese nonmembers.

       We have spent a lot of time preparing and should have finished the planning for it this evening.

Love,

                Elder Bowman

 April 15

   I first want to share something with you.  I love this spiritual thought and shared it with our two new sisters. It is something that helped me.

(Click to Enlarge)

    Sometimes, it is hard to see how much you´ve grown. All you see is everything that is in the way and the daily sun and rain that occurs. Your view of your shortcomings get in the way seeing how much you´ve grown. I know I am progressing here, but sometimes it is frustrating.

    For example - :  When I listened and listened and listened to a single mother's story, but I couldn´t seem to really understand, and knowing every word is so important, because she is so important.

     The thing that is hard to understand is that you are one of the "they." They are important and you are important. They are growing and don't always see it, and you are growing and not always seeing it. The people in this ward are wonderful people. Many of them served missions in the past, but sometimes I think they don´t see how good they are. They like me are not perfect, but as shared at General Conference - all God has are imperfect people.

  To answer your questions about the bird that comes only to me, evidently my hair is the color of the momma bird...that's what I've been told.

   We hiked up to a waterfall today. Our guide, a member of our ward, found this tarantula-looking spider. Cool, right?!

 Not to my companion, who is super afraid of spiders

I bought this cool Chile hat to protect myself from the sun. My scalp burns sometimes, so I really need it.

Two of my investigators. The cat , Martin, loves me.

     Give Mema some tulips for me. They should be coming up around now. If not, some forsythia. 

Happy Birthday Rayne!

and 

Lots of Love,

       Hermana Bowman

                                                                                             April 8

     All right, where to start? This week was kind of blah.

    My companion was sick for the first half, and I was sick for the second half- still recovering. We worked everyday but it was kind of blah.

  When I am sick my head is kind of like a bowl of mashed potatoes. I am unable to think very clearly. Combine this with Spanish and a need to look for culture differences and suddenly my ability to communicate effectively is greatly decreased. Boo...

      Everyone in the ward was very supportive and helpful. I received several different types of herbal drinks and had no idea what was in any of them - nix that - one was lemon water, honey, and a mint mixture. Another one was something like 'a running cats claw' from what I understood of the name. I didn't ask.

    They were concerned, and so medicine was thoughtfully given and a lot of prayers. I love the Chilean people. I really was touched by one of the members, Vivian, who baked something specifically for me. You know what I look like when I am sick - Rudolph nose and watery eyes with dark shadows under them. I'm feeling better now.

    I am sending you several photos this week. There's so much I want to share, and it's easier to send photos than describe everything. I really love Chile. I'm learning so much about the culture and history of this area.

   The rooms in Chile are always brightly colored. Here is an example for you. I love how they use the colors on the walls. In another photo, you'll see bright pink walls.

          These in my photo are the faces of my companion and me. Thanks again for the sticky notes Bowman - that is what made this possible.

Love,

                      Hermana Bowman

April 3, 2013

       I loved the pictures you sent and Mollie's letter.

      We are focusing most of our efforts on English class right now, and trying to get everything done by the end of the transfer when the new missionary comes in. Between our investigators and English class, most of our time is taken up.

      We drive a lot, as most people we teach are in Santa Monica or USC. I am not sure where we will focus our finding efforts after we are done planning English class, but we have a few ideas we can try. Giving quality English classes, finding people to come, and helping them is where our attention is for now.

Love,

              Elder Bowman

              

            April 1, 2013

Hey All,

Church Building in Torrance

                                                                                          March 25, 2013

Dear Family,

  

     Once again, I find myself with little time to write so this probably won't be long.

    Yesterday, we had dinner at our branch president's house. He, like everyone else in the branch, is Chinese.

      I am still adjusting to the dinner mannerisms. Quite apart from using chopsticks, there are other things I am just not quite used to. For instance, bringing the bowl to my mouth and shoveling the rice in when I am at the last grains of rice. After years of the Mother telling me it was impolite to lift my plate to my mouth to eat, it is strange to be told the opposite. Even after he told me to eat like that, I still had trouble doing it without feeling like I was being rude.

     Saturday was my Branch Mission Leader's wedding reception. He was wed shortly before I came out, but they didn't hold the reception and leave to their honeymoon until yesterday. It was at the Beverly Hills Hotel and we attended the beginning of it, but didn't stay for dinner. The hotel didn't really look that nice on the outside, but the inside was lovely.

        I suppose the exterior didn't matter that much with all the expensive cars parked around it. The other Chinese missionaries were excited to see the new cars. Naturally, I, knowing nothing about cars, didn't notice anything other than the fact that they looked new. We attended with the hope of finding some nonmembers to talk to, but didn't have too much success as much of the conversing among the guests didn't happen until after we left.

       We are now living in Torrance, so it was a long drive back, which means we had to leave before it got too late. We stayed for the ring ceremony and the appetizers and then left as they started dinner.

      I would have like to stay for dinner, but the appetizers were good. They had the largest shrimp I have ever seen and crab. We all were a little in awe of how elaborate and ornate everything was there.

(Click to Enlarge)

      All is going well here. We are still focusing our efforts on finding and improving English class. We have done pretty well at accomplishing everything we had planned for this month, so we are starting to think of how we should focus our efforts next month.

     My companion is now District Leader. They made some changes during the middle of the transfer, so we are getting new zone leaders before the transfer is over. They also needed a new District Leader, so he became one starting today. 

        I was glad to hear about Mollie and loved all the pictures she sent. It really makes a difference to be able to see those pictures.

 

                                                                   Love,

                                                                   Elder Bowman

                                                  March 25, 2013

Hey all,

    Today is officially a month on the mission. It was the longest and shortest month that I have ever had.

     One thing I haven´t told you is how I stand out here compared to everyone. Blondish hair and white-white skin really stands out here. It is not a bad thing. It is just a fact. People watch me wherever I go, and whatever I am doing, and it is not at all subtle. It is just part of the culture. 

     It is a good thing for the mission. Wherever we go, I am noticed, and it is easier to approach people who are already looking or even staring at you. 

    Also, because I am from a different country, people are more willing to excuse my mistakes and listen with their hearts. This kindness helps me try harder to learn Spanish. In church and around members, I am also watched. It has made me more aware of my actions. Everything I do reflects back on the church and the United States.

    My companion is a lot like Michele. She often reminds me of you, Mimi. She is a boy´s girl - if you know what I mean. She grew up with three older brothers and no sisters. She is more comfortable around boys. For example, on P-day we always hang out and catch a meal with the Elders. They almost always pay and are more than happy to do so. Really, I tried to tell them not to pay, but they insisted. My companion has a way where the boys just want to do for us. They are also always giving us chocolates and things. Only us and not the other sisters. It is just a talent she has.

Brother and Sister Missionaries in Angol. (Click to Enlarge)

Elliot is a recent convert. He left to some sort of private school that day. We cooked and gave a last lesson at the church. He won´t be able to attend church where he is going, but I think he will go once he gets back. His mom is also a member.

       My companion is also organized, but also disorganized in some ways, like Mich.

     She helps me do everything - like how to use the shower, etc. If she gets discouraged or frustrated, it lasts only a few seconds. She is a rebound happy person, like Mich. Never lets anything get to her too much or too long. We really work well together.

   Today, we talked for a long time with a ten year old boy about rocks and things he loves. He has a collection of genuine fossils of butterflies and other things. His parents are inactive members but would like him to go to church. I kept looking for a natural way to link what he loves to do and collect with talking about going to church.

   Currently, my creative use of the Spanish language just isn´t cutting it. How do you help a ten year old feel a love for the gospel? His eighteen year old brother is baptized but also inactive.  He loves his home, family, and country with all of his heart. It shines through in his countenance and enthusiasm when we talk about any of those topics. It is rather endearing.

   We helped three people come to church Sunday. One was a family and the other was one of our Georges. Yes, we have several Georges.  We do a lot of teaching to investigators and new converts.

    In between appointments the other day, we ran across a litter of run away kittens. They were scampering down the road. Six of them with big, blue eyes. One black, two grays, two brown striped, one spotted. After collecting/capturing them all from the heels and laces of the passersby, we went on the hunt for the owners. We approach the doors and holler "-ALO!" (remember gates and fences everywhere). We found the mama cat four houses down calling for them, but the owners weren't home. We trapped them under a basket as the mama cat watched. They cried pitifully as we walked away, but what could we do? We checked on them later the next day, and they were gone.

From a roof balcony. Notice the fence and gate! They are everywhere. (Click to Enlarge)

     The name of the city, Angol, comes from the name of the language of the original indigenous people. This city is 500+ years old according to the people here. 

     Today, I was reading in Mormon Chapter 2. There is a city there named Angola. It is just a fun fact, but I would like to believe it is more than a coincidence. 

    It has made me wonder if Sara has run across anything similar. My companion is from Guatemala. She says that many of the names of the cities and people of the Book of Mormon are similar or identical to the names in her home area. Her grandmother is Mayan and was the first convert in her family.

Beautiful Angol - It's very green here with blue skies. (Click to Enlarge)

     I sang "How Great Thou Art" in the plaza. In reality, it wasn´t my best performance. My only solo ever was in front of the ward at the beginning of the month.
     Anyway, there was a group of singers in the plaza - Pentecostals. They had a piano, a sax, a guitar, an accordion, and singers. They had a fun, pop music act of gospel songs. We were sitting on the bench with the other two hermanas. It was one of those situations where we happened to run into each other. 

     Hermana Calcina said that I should sing- kind of jokingly, as to not pressure me. Then my companion said that she would buy me an ice cream. I decided I'd sing, if I had music.

     Hermana Calcina helped me explain what I wanted and who we were. The Pentecostal group was total okay with it. I sang "How Great Thou Art" in front of about a hundred people at the plaza. That was the only song the piano player knew from the hymn book. They read by chords, since it was a jazz group. The song was quite different, but the real problem was the key was much lower. A default I keep finding in Chile is all of the people here sing very low. 

     Still, people stopped and sat and listened. Afterward, they came up and congratulated me. I answered their questions, and all of us had several people to talk to. It was an easy way to get contacts for the day and less nerve racking.

      I am starting English lessons this week at the church. I need/want to connect to the members better. Teaching is a good way for me to do that. Can you send me some activities? Also, could you send me my bread and cookie recipes from Pinterest? Thanks!


                                                                        Lots of Love,

                                                                     Hermana Bowman